NVIDIA’s rapid ascent as a key player in the AI chip market has been solidified with the launch of its Blackwell platform, unveiled at the GTC event in San Jose. The new chips, named in tribute to mathematician David Harold Blackwell, promise a major performance boost over the highly utilized H100 chips. With Blackwell boasting speeds of 20 petaflops compared to the H100’s 4 petaflops, and a significant increase in transistor count to 208 billion, NVIDIA is heralding this advancement as a pivotal moment in ushering in a new industrial era.
Dubbed “the engine to power this new Industrial Revolution” by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, the Blackwell chips are positioned to further revolutionize the AI landscape. The platform’s capabilities are predicted to elevate the development of generative AI technologies, which Huang emphasized as the defining technology of the current era. Numerous influential tech CEOs, including Satya Nadella, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk, have voiced their support for NVIDIA’s latest offering, praising its performance enhancements and its potential to drive innovation in AI capabilities.
While specific pricing for the Blackwell chips remains undisclosed, historical data suggests that NVIDIA’s current H100 chips range from $25,000 to $40,000 per chip, with complete systems powered by these chips carrying costs up to $200,000. Despite the premium pricing, the demand for NVIDIA’s AI chips remains strong, with previous wait times of up to 11 months indicating the industry’s eagerness to harness the power of these advanced technologies. Access to NVIDIA’s cutting-edge chips is increasingly viewed as a mark of prestige for tech companies seeking to attract AI talent, reflecting the pivotal role these chips play in shaping the future of artificial intelligence applications.
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