US patriotism was on display on Tuesday as Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang took the stage at the chip maker's GTC event, moments before he announced a new partnership with Nokia.
Unlike most previous Nvidia GTC gatherings, usually held in the company's home state of California, this year's event is taking place in Washington.
Images of US inventors Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates filled a screen as a narrator spoke of the US as a birthplace of technological transformation.
A soundbite of Donald Trump discussing AI reverberated through the hall, in a nod to the US President with whom Mr Huang has tried to gain influence.
“It’s difficult not to be sentimental about America after watching that video,” he said as he took the stage.
Mr Huang soon turned to accelerated computing, where powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs) help to make artificial intelligence possible.
“Accelerated computing, its moment has arrived,” he said, reflecting on Nvidia’s climb to the top of the technology and business worlds, driven mostly by AI developments.
Mr Huang then announced the company is linking up with Finnish telecoms giant Nokia to build an AI-native 5G communications device, an Arc Aerial RAN computer, which he described as a wireless communication system.
“Our fundamental communication network is based on foreign technologies and that has to stop,” he said. "We’ll be able to use AI technology to make radio communications more efficient and proficient."
He said Nvidia’s partnership with Nokia would hasten the AI era of 6G telecoms.
“We’ll be able to use AI technology to make wireless communications more efficient and proficient,” Mr Huang said.
He told those present that soon, with help from Nokia, Nvidia's Arc Aerial RAN would provide a cloud-computing standard for wireless communications.
“It will go where data centres cannot,” Mr Huang said.
As part of the Nokia deal, Nvidia will be investing $1 billion in the company.
Mr Huang also announced that Nvidia would team up with Oracle to build the US Department of Energy a new supercomputer designed to boost scientific research.
The company says the supercomputer will feature a “record-breaking” 100,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs.
Mr Huang also spoke about Mr Trump's appointments and their apparent push for new supercomputer developments.
“I have to give a shout out to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright,” he said, referring to the US Energy Secretary.
Mr Huang said Nvidia's Blackwell GPU sales generated $500 billion in revenue.
“We’ve shipped six million Blackwell GPUs and we still have a [financial] quarter to go,” he said.
Mr Huang said his company would be forming a partnership with cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, hoping to quicken the process of finding security problems.
Concerns are growing that AI is making it easier for cyber criminals, although the argument can be made that it will ultimately be of greater help to cyber security companies.
The Nvidia partnership is a major win for CrowdStrike, which angered millions for causing a technical glitch that shot down computers globally in July.
Building on Nvidia's announcements on autonomous vehicles in March, Mr Huang said the company developed Drive AGX Hyperion 10, “a reference compute and sensor architecture” for vehicles.
Nvidia said part of the technology led to a partnership with ride-hailing platform Uber, which hopes to have a global autonomous fleet consisting of 100,000 vehicles starting in 2027.
Nvidia’s GTC event in Washington ends on Thursday.
White House ballroom controversy
Mr Huang told a news conference he was “proud and delighted” that Nvidia, along with other tech companies, had donated to a new ballroom at the White House.
The entire White House East Wing was demolished to make way for the project, prompting a backlash.
“We want DC to be the best home-court advantage [for deals] in the world,” Mr Huang said.
