Key Points:
- NVIDIA unveils Blackwell, a next-generation AI chip platform offering significant performance improvements over its predecessor.
- Blackwell chips are between 7 and 30 times faster than the previous H100 chips and consume 25 times less power.
- Named after mathematician David Harold Blackwell, Blackwell chips feature 208 billion transistors and achieve speeds of up to 20 petaflops.
- Access to NVIDIA’s AI chips is increasingly viewed as a status symbol among tech companies seeking to attract AI talent.
NVIDIA, a global leader in chip design, has unveiled its latest breakthrough in artificial intelligence (AI) chip technology with the introduction of the Blackwell. This next-generation platform represents a significant leap forward in performance, offering chips that are between 7 and 30 times faster than the previous H100 chips while consuming 25 times less power.
At the company’s annual GTC event in San Jose, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang hailed Blackwell GPUs as the driving force behind a new industrial revolution in AI. With generative AI emerging as the defining technology of the time, Huang expressed confidence that Blackwell would realize the promise of AI for every industry.
Named in honor of mathematician David Harold Blackwell, the Blackwell chips boast unparalleled power and efficiency. With speeds of up to 20 petaflops, compared to the H100’s 4 petaflops, and featuring 208 billion transistors, Blackwell delivers a significant performance upgrade. This achievement is attributed to NVIDIA’s innovative approach of connecting two large chip dies, enabling communication at up to 10 terabytes per second.
The significance of NVIDIA’s chips in driving the modern AI revolution is underscored by testimonials from eight CEOs of leading tech companies. From OpenAI to Meta, these CEOs lauded Blackwell’s performance leaps and its pivotal role in accelerating the development of cutting-edge AI models.
While NVIDIA did not disclose the pricing of Blackwell chips, its H100 chips currently range between $25,000 and $40,000 per chip. Jensen Huang told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Tuesday on “Squawk on the Street,” Blackwell will cost between $30,000 and $40,000 per unit.
Despite the high cost, demand for NVIDIA’s chips remains robust, with delivery wait times stretching up to 11 months. Access to NVIDIA’s AI chips is increasingly coveted among tech companies, symbolizing a status symbol for those seeking to attract AI talent.
