Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of chip phenom Nvidia Corp., made the case at an appearance in Taiwan that artificial intelligence will spill over the boundaries of the tech industry into everything from farming and factories to pharmaceuticals and climate change.
“AI is an incredible computer that’s very easy to program,” said the 60-year-old at a roundtable discussion at the Computex trade show. “You can speak whatever language you like, you can even draw pictures.”
Huang, in his fifth public appearance in seven days, fielded questions on a range of topics, from AI regulation and safety to how the technology would be used in places like China. He emphasized how generative AI is easy enough to use that people in almost every field can experiment with it.
“I have just turned everyone into a programmer,” said Huang, who has been mobbed by fans throughout the conference and posed for innumerable selfies.
Nvidia has had a dizzying week. It began when Huang on Wednesday forecast revenue for the current quarter that was more than 50% beyond analyst estimates, signaling explosive demand for the chips powering artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT.
Nvidia’s market capitalization soared $184 billion in a single day and drove an AI rally around the world. The company’s valuation is closing in on $1 trillion, a market no chipmaker has ever hit. One analyst responded with a research note entitled, “Greatest Beat of All Time?”
Huang’s wealth surged by more than $6 billion to a record $34 billion. He co-founded the company in 1993 and still runs it as chief executive officer.
At the roundtable on Tuesday, Huang was by turns earnest and exuberant. Asked about government regulation, he acknowledged the potential risks.
“We have to be very serious about AI safety,” he said. “Ultimately AI is a product or a service. All products and services should be regulated and should be safe.”
Huang said two of his favorite opportunities for AI are not in the tech industry, but rather in drug discovery and understanding climate change.
He was most measured in discussing China. Semiconductor technology has been at the heart of rising US-China tensions, and Washington has prohibited certain Nvidia products from being exported to China. Still, he imagines Beijing will support AI development.
“I would think that China would use the opportunity to foster all of its local entrepreneurs,” he said.
Born in Taiwan, Huang has been treated like a rock star since he landed on the island for the Computex trade show. As he wandered through the hallways ahead of the roundtable, he was regularly surrounded by the media and enthusiasts.
He began the trip by giving a commencement address at the National Taiwan University. He regaled students with stories of how Nvidia almost died in its early years and the lessons he learned from such trying experiences. He also encouraged them to familiarize themselves with AI — no matter what field they’re in — because the technology will transform the corporate landscape and change every single job.
On Monday, he spent two hours on stage for a Computex keynote, unveiling a sweeping array of new products to meet the frenzied demand for AI. The lineup included a new robotics design, gaming capabilities, advertising services, networking technology and, perhaps most important, an AI supercomputer platform.
Huang bemoaned the fact that he hadn’t been able to give such a presentation for four years due to the pandemic. As a result, he said the company had many things to show the world. “It’s too much,” Huang said near the end of the presentation. “I know it’s too much.”
But after the roundtable on Tuesday, it was clear Huang was relishing his moment in the spotlight. After another round of goodbyes, he headed out for another press conference to talk about Nvidia’s products.