inference engineering: research on tap / szn 03

Research on Tap is an intimate, discussion-driven meetup where 10 selected participants deep-dive into a cutting-edge AI research paper over drinks. Hosted by GrowthX, this event series is designed for engineers, researchers, and technical builders who work with AI models, computer vision, model serving, or AI infrastructure. The format encourages rigorous debate and collaborative exploration of how research ideas can be applied to real-world engineering problems.

What to Expect

• Paper Deep-Dive: Participants receive a selected AI research paper after approval. The session begins by examining the problem the paper addresses and the key design choices, then moves through the methodology, assumptions, and the validity of the results.
• Peer Learning: You'll be seated with 10 smart peers who are eager to challenge your thinking and share diverse perspectives.
• Moonshot Inspiration: Past attendees often report that ideas sparked during these discussions have led to experiments in their companies that they never would have considered.
• Drinks Included: The event price covers one drink of your choice—beer, hard seltzer, cold brew coffee, or an energy drink. The casual, drink-in-hand atmosphere is central to the "on tap" concept.

Who Should Attend This event is ideal for engineers, researchers, and technical builders who are comfortable reading technical papers and discussing their practical implications. If you're working on AI infrastructure, GPU kernels, model serving, or distributed training, you'll find this session particularly valuable.

Ground Rules

• Please arrive on time; arriving 30+ minutes late is discouraged as it disrupts the flow.
• If you don't drink any of the offered beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), this format may not be for you—consider other GrowthX events.
• The event price is a token amount that covers your drink; GrowthX does not profit from this event.

Your Hosts

• Manthan is an AI Research Engineer at Zyphra, specializing in inference engineering, GPU kernels, and distributed training. He previously contributed to an open-source agent orchestration project (~20k stars) at Agno and built data infrastructure at Merkle Science handling 50 million daily requests.
• Udayan is the co-founder and CEO of GrowthX, a developer-turned-product-manager who was Razorpay's first product growth hire. He designs GrowthX's event formats around small tables and open debate.

About GrowthX Founded in 2019, GrowthX is a global community of AI builders with selective admissions and annual membership. It hosts over 600 events per year focused on learning, networking, and innovation.

Location & Logistics The event takes place at the Reinfelder Villa (Shram HQ) in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. Seats are limited to 10 and require approval. Apply by requesting a seat and paying the token amount; if not approved, you'll be automatically refunded. The paper will be shared once your seat is confirmed—read it before arriving and come with a point of view.