Jensen Huang is a man at a massive mission moment. It is to attack AI infrastructure deals with Europe.
The CEO of Nvidia owned multiple rooms, rubbing his shoulders with world leaders at London Tech Week and Vivedch in Paris.
Business Insider was there for talks at both events. Here's what you need to know about European tours from companies with an AI boom:
All nvidia is included in “Sovereign ai”
One phrase from Huang this week was the heart top of “Sovereign AI.” The term describes countries that use their own AI infrastructure within their own boundaries, from data to hardware to the models themselves.
The idea is to create technical independence for AI against using data centers in other countries and models developed by foreign companies.
“Sovereign AI is essential. No company, industry or state can outsource intelligence,” Huang said, announcing a partnership with French startup Mistral, providing NVIDIA chips to its homemade AI infrastructure platform.
Jensen Huang shakes hands with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during London Tech Week. Curl coat/pool/AFP by Getty Images
It's not a new concept, nor is it the first time Huang has spoken about it. However, Huang mentioned it in all his talks and Q&As in London and Paris, and announced his deals with local cloud providers in the UK, Germany, France and Italy.
For Nvidia, sovereign AI is also an opportunity to sell more chips, as Huang said in his revenue call last month, especially as China is “effectively shut down” to US chip companies for export control.
“There's nothing wrong with renting AI. It's no different to hiring a contractor in your company,” Huang said Wednesday in a keynote speech for Vivatech. “But you still need to have the ability to develop your own intelligence.”
Huang's “Rockstar” status doesn't go anywhere
Few executives can get the spotlight from world leaders, and Han is one of them.
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At London Tech Week, crowds arrived early and grabbed the spot for a fireside chat with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer. There were no empty seats on the main stage of Olympia as the Nvidia boss spoke about the possibility of British AI. “I'm making this prediction. Because of AI, all the UK's industries will be high-tech industries,” Huang told a fascinating audience on Monday.
Two days later, Huang was praised similarly in the French high-tech ecosystem. During the keynote speech of NVIDIA GTC during Vivatech, Huang was in his element, showing off the inside of his company's latest server technology, interacting with robots, and enhancing the future of quantum computing.
Emmanuel Macron and Jensen Fan shake hands at Vivatec. Mustafayal Singh/Anadoru via Getty Images
However, he appeared to be at home with French President Macron and Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch because of the fireplace that day, leaving him with laughter and a centre of attention from the audience. Vivatech participants who spoke with BI were positive about Huang. One described him as the ideal CEO, and the VC said, “I love that guy.”
Nvidia's stock price may have caused several conflicts in February and March before it recovered, but Huang's stock in the tech world appears to be as high as when he signed the MacBook, chips and even women's top at the Taiwan Technology Conference last year.
Huang is still a determined AI optimist
The impact of AI on employment, especially in white-collar roles such as software development, has been ringing alarm bells for some technicians.
Last month, humanity CEO Dario Amodei broke the ranks to warn that AI could quickly wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs.
However, Huang's message was consistent throughout his European tour. AI makes the world a better place, even if there is chaos.
“AI is the biggest equalizer for people,” he said during a press conference. “If there's someone you want to be a better person, tell them to use AI.”
This is an incredible attitude for the CEO of a company whose market capitalization of $3.5 trillion comes from its position as the most important provider of AI chips.
Huang had a particularly strong word for Amodei.
“I barely agree with almost everything he says,” Juan said during a press conference at Vivatec on Wednesday. “He thinks AI is very scary, but only they should do it.”
A human spokesman disputed that Amodei characterizes Amodei's attitude towards BI, saying that Amodei “advocated national transparency standards for AI developers,” including humanity, and that he will face concerns about the impact of AI on work.
It was clear in both Paris, London that Huang viewed AI as an opportunity to shed, not a job destroyer.
“Everyone can learn how to program AI,” Huang told London Tech Week on Monday. “The new programming language is called human.”
Additional report by Robert Scammmell.
