Nvidia’s Huang hails Europe’s AI potential

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang expressed confidence on Wednesday in Europe's engineering expertise, believing it to be a key advantage in physical AI and robotics. At Nvidia's GTC conference in Berlin, during a tour of European cities including London, Paris, Stockholm and Dublin, Huang declared that "every company in Europe will become an AI company." He highlighted Europe's unparalleled precision and craftsmanship in mechatronics, electronics, and mechanical systems.

Demonstrating Europe's AI potential, Huang showcased AI-trained duck-shaped robots from French startup Pollen Robotics, which performed somersaults on stage. Nvidia has pledged nearly $10 billion to bolster Europe's technology ecosystem, giving the region a leading role in supplying processors and software for robotic 'brains'.

Germany's Agile Robots announced plans to manufacture 1,000 to 2,000 humanoid robots next year in collaboration with Nvidia. The CEO of Agile Robots, Zhaopeng Chen, confirmed production would commence late in the year. Huang expressed frustration with Europe's history of following rather than leading in AI, stating, "To be part of this AI economy, you don’t want to just be consuming the AI; you want to be producing the AI. We could do all of that here in Europe."

Nvidia also unveiled a new DSX POD design for factory-built data centre modules using its Vera Rubin platform, which can be deployed in as little as two weeks, a significant improvement from the six-month timeline. However, the demonstration of AI-controlled robots, the Microducks, was not flawless. Three of the robots stopped responding when Huang ordered them to sleep, while a fourth required additional coaxing and faced away from Huang when the speech concluded.