AI Infrastructure Can Deliver Up To 10x ROI: Nvidia MD Vishal Dhupar

Nvidia’s Southeast Asia MD Vishal Dhupar on Wednesday presented an interesting vision for the future of artificial intelligence (AI) among businesses, particularly by focusing on the revenue generation and return on investment (RoI). As per Dhupar, the evolution of data centres and AI factories represents a big shift in how businesses will generate value in the coming years.

Speaking at the CII Innoverge 2024 event, Dhupar said that AI factories are expected to become the new engines of economic growth, turning traditional storage-focused data centre into hubs of intelligence production. “Think about it. A warehouse (referring to data centres) is always an expense where you keep it; a factory (referring to AI factory) is where you create revenue, so you’re creating factories,” said Dhupar. 

He added that these AI factories will produce “tokens,” or units of intelligence, which can be applied to various fields to generate value.

A recent joint study by Intel and the International Data Corporation (IDC) projected that AI spending in India will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 31.5 per cent starting in 2023, with expenditures possibly reaching USD 5.1 billion by 2027.

Dhupar detailed the different ways companies can capitalise on AI investments. By merely providing AI infrastructure, companies can expect a return on investment (RoI) of four to five times over four years. Developing models can increase RoI to seven or eight times, while building applications on top of these models can yield a tenfold return, he said. 

“You can just do it by selling your infrastructure... and you can actually do 10 times if you basically get into application. That’s why the AI factory,” explained the Nvidia executive.

The idea of AI factories producing tokens of intelligence is seemingly central to Dhupar’s vision. He compared it to the Industrial Revolution, where converting raw materials into electricity revolutionised industries. 

India As Global AI Leader

Dhupar also spoke on India’s pivotal role in the global AI landscape. He strongly backed India’s ability to lead in AI innovation rather than merely following global trends. 

“For the first time in the technology advancements, we are not following it. We are leading it,” said Dhupar, mentioning India’s shift from being a consumer to a creator of cutting-edge technologies.

He pointed to India’s cultural heritage and linguistic diversity as unique assets in the AI era. Dhupar said he believes that encoding “India’s rich tapestry” into digital intelligence will not only preserve the nation’s uniqueness but also provide valuable insights to the world. 

“When encoded into that intelligence in digital form, it will make us unique and it’ll keep our uniqueness and will spellbound answers to the rest of the world because we have the volumes,” he said.

Dhupar also noted the inclusive nature of AI in India, where language barriers that once restricted access to technology are now being dismantled. He added that AI allows everyone to participate, from urban professionals to rural farmers.

“For the very first time, now everybody can be a teacher because you can teach the computer in your own language, in your own dialect how to learn and help you out,” said Dhupar.