Nvidia has unveiled its newest generation of artificial intelligence chips, as the US chipmaker aims to solidify its position amid the generative AI boom.
The Blackwell processor will begin shipping later in 2024 and is up to five times more powerful than its predecessor, Hopper, chief executive Jensen Huang said at the company's GTC conference in San Jose, California, on Monday.
Nvidia said the Blackwell delivers up to 20 petaflops of performance, compared to Hopper's 4 petaflops. A petaflop is equivalent to one quadrillion operations per second.
The Blackwell's architecture comprises 208 billion transistors, compared to the Hopper's more than 80 billion, and can support trillions of parameters for training large language models, the underlying technology powering generative AI.
“This is the most advanced GPU in the world in production today. The excitement of Blackwell is really off the charts,” Mr Huang said in his keynote, referring to graphics processing units.
GPUs perform technical calculations faster and with greater energy efficiency than traditional central processing units.
Nvidia plans to package the Blackwell chips into larger setups. For instance, the GB200 NVL72, presented at the event, is made up of 36 CPUs and 72 GPUs, totalling 720 petaflops of AI power, in addition to more than 3.2km of cables.
The Blackwell, which will be combined with Nvidia's central processing unit Grace, also puts two circuit boards together to make it appear that “it's just one chip”, Mr Huang said.
During his address, Mr Huang held up the two chips side-by-side, with the Blackwell appearing to be about twice the size of its predecessor.
“There's no memory locality issues, no cache issues. It's just one giant chip."
Mr Huang said the latest superchips – which he declared would be “the most successful product launch in our history” – can be installed by simply sliding out the Hopper units from existing infrastructure.
“Hopper is fantastic but we need bigger GPUs,” he said, referring to graphics processing units.
Nvidia did not disclose the price of the new Blackwell GPUs. Hopper chips cost between $25,000 to $40,000 each, with entire systems priced as much as $200,000, industry estimates have shown.
Among the major technology companies expected to adopt Blackwell technology are Amazon Web Services, Dell Technologies, Google, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Oracle, Elon Musk's Tesla and xAI, and OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, Nvidia said.
AWS, the cloud computing unit of the world's biggest e-commerce platform Amazon, and Nvidia announced they are extending their collaboration to advance generative AI innovation using Blackwell.
“Nvidia's next-generation Grace Blackwell processor marks a significant step forward in generative AI and GPU computing,” said Adam Selipsky, Amazon Web Services' chief executive.
The companies said they would accelerate AI innovation across health care and life sciences.
Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, said the Blackwell "will accelerate our ability to deliver leading-edge models".
Nvidia's chips are central components in generative AI, with several of the technology industry's biggest names making moves to boost their investments, indicating that the frenzy for the much-hyped sector isn't slowing down anytime soon.
This has taken Nvidia shares to record levels: its stock has soared about 242 per cent over the past 12 months and its market capitalisation has surpassed the highly exclusive $2 trillion mark, putting it behind only Apple and Microsoft.
Even companies acquired by Nvidia are enjoying the AI-fuelled fame – especially after it disclosed its stakes in them last month.
Nvidia's latest product also focuses on power efficiency. The company said 2,000 Blackwell GPUs consume 4 megawatts of power, compared to 15 megawatts for 8,000 Hopper GPUs.
"Accelerated computing has reached the tipping point; general purpose computing has run out of steam," he said.
"We need another way of doing computing so that we can continue to scale [and] drive down the cost of computing, so that we can continue to consume more and more computing while being sustainable."
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
All the Money in the World
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer
Four stars
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Read more about the coronavirus
Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
India squads
T20: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Chahar, Deepak Chahar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur
Test: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
