Jensen Huang of Nvidia Corp. will serve as the head of a unique chance for the most influential executives in the industry to convene and strategize the future of AI and computing: a conference of tech business leaders in Taipei, starting on Sunday.
TakeAway Points:
- Jensen Huang of Nvidia Corp. will serve as the head of a unique chance for the most influential executives in the industry to convene and strategize the future of AI and computing.
- The US company secured a seemingly unassailable lead in AI data centers, with the help of relationships Huang has cultivated with Taiwan’s server makers like Quanta Computer Inc. and, increasingly, Hon Hai Precision Technology Co.
Tech Business Leaders’ Conference
The biggest names in PC and chipmaking, including Lisa Su of Advanced Micro Gadgets Inc. and Cristiano Amon of Qualcomm Inc., will be joining Huang at Computex 2024 to showcase the progress they have achieved in setting the groundwork for innovations ranging from ChatGPT-like AI to future smart gadgets.
These CEOs will pitch their own goods, but they will also work together to find solutions to the most critical problems confronting the global IT industry, ranging from geopolitical unrest and violence to a limited supply of critical components like high-bandwidth memory.
Using AI to their advantage and preparing their companies for the impending shift are their top priorities. Qualcomm is placing its bets on a collaboration with Microsoft Corp. on AI PCs, which will introduce its lineage of smartphone chips to laptops.
According to the report, Huang will be questioned about Nvidia’s plans in response to Qualcomm’s new endeavour, while Pat Gelsinger of Intel Corp. and Rene Haas, the chief executive officer of Arm Holdings Plc, will give their divergent predictions for the future of computing.
“This is a massive inflection, it is the biggest moment in the PC business in decades. AI is the hottest trend with the longest trail; it’s the earliest innings, and they’re all fighting.” said Dan Newman, CEO and chief analyst at the Futurum Group.
Taiwan, a Semiconductor Global Market
With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. producing Apple Inc.’s iPhone chips, Nvidia producing essential AI accelerators, AMD producing rival products, and a significant portion of Arm chips driving the global mobile market, its significance in the chip supply chain has never been higher. The servers and semiconductors that pave the way for AI advances are largely assembled or manufactured in Taiwan.
The Report also emphasized that it’s home to a coterie of lesser-known players that provide the building blocks for Nvidia’s products. The US company secured a seemingly unassailable lead in AI data centers, with the help of relationships Huang has cultivated with Taiwan’s server makers like Quanta Computer Inc. and, increasingly, Hon Hai Precision Technology Co. His last visit to the island was a marketing tour de force, as he lauded those firms and touted the trillion-dollar opportunity in AI.
AI servers will generate NT$1 trillion ($31 billion) in revenue for Hon Hai as early as next year, according to Chairman Young Liu, who made the announcement on Friday during the company’s annual shareholder meeting.
“Last year was already hot because of AI. And this year is explosive because AI is accelerating,” said James C. F. Huang, chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), which runs Computex. “We are like a big magnet.”
AI Gear Headware
Huang from Nvidia showcased a range of AI gear during a Computex media presentation last year. The hardware included integrated server rack modules, H100 AI chips, and proprietary technologies that enable numerous components to function as a single, cohesive computer. Huang responded in the affirmative when asked if all of those parts were produced in Taiwan. The fact that TSMC outperforms both Intel and Samsung Electronics Co. in terms of production dependability and technological leadership is a major factor in Taiwan’s dominance.
That preeminence in the chipmaking and computing spheres is also a source of growing concern for governments, which are wary of the threat of China, which claims the island as part of its territory, taking it over by force. US firms have been asking Taiwanese partners to diversify the geography of their operations, to guard against a potential invasion from the mainland.
TAITRA’s Huang said that from chips to motherboards to server assemblers, the AI hardware supply chain all comes together in Taiwan, making it an efficient one-stop shop for big tech firms like Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft, and Meta Platforms Inc. to buy their hardware.
“AI Semiconductors and AI servers will prop up Taiwan’s economy for another 50 years. Taiwanese firms also make 80% to 90% of all the AI servers in the world.” Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo said.
