Nvidia, the leading AI chipmaker globally, has decided to cancel its upcoming AI summit scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv due to escalating safety concerns. The move follows an attack by Hamas on Israel over the weekend.
The in-person AI summit was planned for October 15 and 16, with a keynote by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. It was promoted as “the #1 conference for developers, business leaders, and AI researchers.” The event was expected to draw about 2,500 developers, researchers, and tech professionals, offering over 60 live sessions covering various AI-related topics. The company reported a remarkable revenue spike of over 100% year over year for its second fiscal quarter, accompanied by a net income surge of 422% year over year, amounting to $6.7 billion.
During the keynote by CEO Jensen Huang, the plan was to delve into Nvidia’s latest advancements in generative AI and cloud computing. Various key figures at Nvidia, such as Kimberly Powell (Vice President of Healthcare), Deepu Talla (Vice President of Embedded and Edge Computing), and Gilad Shainer (Senior Vice President of Networking and High-Performance Computing), were set to speak at the summit. Additionally, executives from notable organizations, including Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Snowflake, and Lenovo, were slated to lead sponsored sessions.
Nvidia expressed regret over the cancellation, emphasizing that the safety and well-being of all participants were paramount. The decision was made in light of the current situation in Israel, with Nvidia extending its sympathy to all those impacted by the ongoing events. The company reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety of participants and believed that canceling the summit was the best course of action in these circumstances.
