AI Chip Leader Made Flurry of Product and Partnership Announcements
Nvidia (NVDA) founder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang kicked off the company’s annual GPU technology conference (GTC) Monday with a keynote address unveiling the Blackwell platform, announcing expanding partnerships with industry leaders, and showcasing the tech’s capabilities. The Nvidia event, which runs through Thursday, has been eagerly anticipated by investors who are keen to learn about the chipmaker’s artificial intelligence initiatives and partnerships. Nvidia stock has risen more than 80% since the start of the year amid optimism about the company’s AI-fueled growth prospects.
Unveiling Blackwell, the ‘World’s Most Powerful Chip’
Nvidia announced the Blackwell platform, the latest version of its AI-powering technology. The Blackwell GPU is touted as the “world’s most powerful chip” that will power “a new era of computing,” according to the company. The new system is more capable and efficient than its predecessor, Hopper. Huang mentioned in his keynote address that “the inference capability of Blackwell is off the charts and in fact it is some 30 times Hopper.” The Blackwell architecture can run a generative AI large language model consuming around 25 times less cost and energy as Hopper, Nvidia said in a release. Nvidia also unveiled the GB200 Grace Blackwell Superchip, a “massive super chip” that connects two NVIDIA B200 Tensor Core GPUs to the NVIDIA Grace CPU. The company reported that many leading AI companies are already set to use the Blackwell system, ahead of its official launch. Amazon (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT), and Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL) are among the partners set to use Blackwell. Nvidia said that Blackwell products will be available through its partners later this year.
Nvidia’s Omniverse Meets Apple’s VisionPro
Nvidia announced that it is bringing Omniverse to Apple’s (AAPL) recently launched VisionPro virtual reality headset. The Omniverse is Nvidia’s computing platform that enables individuals and teams to develop 3D workflows and applications. Developers can easily send their Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD) industrial scenes from their content creation applications to the NVIDIA Graphics Delivery Network (GDN), a global network of graphics-ready data centers that can stream advanced 3D experiences to Apple Vision Pro.
AI Humanoid Robots Are Next
Nvidia announced “Project GR00T,” a foundation model for humanoid robots, which Huang said is the “next wave” of AI and robotics. The robots powered by GR00T, which stands for Generalist Robot 00 Technology, will be designed to understand natural language and emulate movements by observing human actions. Nvidia also unveiled “Jetson Thor,” a new computer for humanoid robots that includes GenAI capabilities as part of its AI-powered robotics initiative.
Blueprint for ‘Next Gen’ Data Centers
Nvidia showed a 3D blueprint for “next-gen” data centers in the AI era. The design was created using Omniverse to simulate modern data centers, which are incredibly complex, involving multiple considerations like performance, energy efficiency, and scalability. Nvidia’s latest offerings are expected to supercharge data centers. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in a release that “by bringing the GB200 Grace Blackwell processor” to Microsoft datacenters globally, the company is building on its long-standing history of optimizing NVIDIA GPUs for our cloud, as we make the promise of AI real for organizations everywhere.
Nvidia and Oracle Expand Sovereign AI Partnership
Nvidia announced that it is expanding its collaboration with Oracle (ORCL) to help deliver sovereign AI globally. Sovereign AI refers to a nation’s capabilities to produce artificial intelligence using its own infrastructure, data, workforce, and business networks. The Nvidia and Oracle partnership is meant to deliver sovereign AI solutions to customers around the world as Oracle’s distributed cloud, AI infrastructure, and generative AI services, combined with NVIDIA’s accelerated computing and generative AI software, are enabling governments and enterprises to deploy AI factories.
New 6G Cloud Platform AI
Nvidia announced a 6G research platform that offers researchers a comprehensive suite to advance AI for radio access network (RAN) technology. The platform allows organizations to accelerate the development of 6G technologies that will connect trillions of devices with cloud infrastructures, laying the foundation for a hyper-intelligent world supported by autonomous vehicles, smart spaces, extended reality, immersive education experiences, and collaborative robots. Nvidia said the platform will empower the next phase of wireless technology and could meet the growing demand presented by running AI on wireless devices.
In conclusion, Nvidia’s flurry of product and partnership announcements at its annual GPU technology conference showcases the company’s commitment to advancing artificial intelligence technology across various industries. With groundbreaking innovations like the Blackwell platform, Omniverse integration with Apple’s VisionPro, advancements in humanoid robotics, blueprint for next-gen data centers, expansion of sovereign AI partnerships with Oracle, and the introduction of a 6G cloud platform for AI research, Nvidia continues to lead the way in shaping the future of AI-driven technologies. Investors and industry experts alike are eagerly anticipating the impact of these developments on Nvidia’s growth prospects and its contributions to the broader AI ecosystem.
