'This Is India's Golden Moment'
Nvidia Founder and CEO Jensen Huang delivered a series of noteworthy statements on Friday, portraying a bright outlook for India’s potential in artificial intelligence (AI). He also hailed India's G20 Summit presidency as its ‘Golden moment’.
During a closed-door session in Bengaluru, Huang told reporters that amidst a global landscape fraught with geopolitical challenges, countries are now turning their focus towards India as a prime investment destination, especially in light of the upcoming G20 summit.
He also stressed that AI could be India’s largest export item in the coming years and it must work to establish the infrastructure to support AI. He went on to affirm his belief that “computer science” behind the AI was India’s natural resource which needed to be preserved.
“My prediction is that the next time I come back, it is very likely that one of the largest export products of India is AI”
He also emphasised the formidable talent pool in India, particularly in the field of technology. He commended India and the IITs for producing a wealth of computer scientists. He said, “You produce more computer scientists than any country on the planet.”
Nvidia employs 2,200 people in India and plans to at least double its headcount in next few years.
AI Infrastructure
Earlier in his four-day India visit, the Nvidia founder met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and highlighted the need for India to step up its investments in infrastructure that supports AI development. Huang underscored the critical need for India to establish a robust AI infrastructure, citing the country's wealth of data as a pivotal resource. By localising AI infrastructure, India can maximise the utility of its vast data resources, tailoring solutions to address specific linguistic and cultural nuances, he noted.
Nvidia joined forces with Reliance to develop a homegrown large language model for generative AI applications. The two companies also plan to build AI infrastructure, with Nvidia providing access to its cutting-edge GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip and NVIDIA DGX Cloud. These technologies represent a leap in computing, offering exceptional performance and massive memory bandwidth.
In Bengaluru, Huang highlighted India's linguistic diversity as a driving factor for the necessity of indigenous AI infrastructure. He pointed out that India's diverse population has distinct needs compared to the rest of the world. He noted, “Your diverse languages. And your diverse population has diverse needs different than the rest of the world.”
The Nvidia CEO also urged the fostering of a collaborative AI ecosystem within India. He envisioned a scenario where startups, researchers, scientists, and developers would unite their efforts to craft AI solutions customized to meet India's distinct requirements. He emphasised that this cooperative approach would play a pivotal role in unlocking the full potential of AI in India.
Furthermore, when discussing the prospects for Indian IT firms such as TCS, Infosys, and Wipro in the AI sector, Huang expressed a high level of optimism. He stated that the opportunities were exceptionally promising and highlighted these companies' potential to excel in specialised AI domains, underscoring the crucial importance of possessing domain-specific AI expertise.
