The Big Bang Moment of AI and the Power of GPUs

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This chapter discusses the submission of the Alex Net algorithm to the ImageNet competition and how it marked a significant leap in progress for AI. It explores the use of convolutional neural networks and the power of GPUs in revolutionizing the Internet. The chapter concludes by highlighting the unexpected potential for AI and other applications to utilize the same technology pioneered by Nvidia.

It’s a(nother) new era for Nvidia.

We thought we’d closed the Acquired book on Nvidia back in April 2022. The story was all wrapped up: Jensen & crew had set out on an amazing journey to accelerate the world’s computing workloads. Along the way they’d discovered a wondrous opportunity (machine learning powered social media feed recommendations). They forged incredible Power in the CUDA platform, and used it to triumph over seemingly insurmountable adversity — the stock market penalty-box.

But, it turned out that was only the precursor to an even wilder journey. Over the past 18 months Nvidia has weathered one of the steepest stock crashes in history ($500B+ market cap wiped away peak-to-trough!). And, it has of course also experienced an even more fantastical rise — becoming the platform that’s powering the emergence of perhaps a new form of intelligence itself… and in the process becoming a trillion-dollar company.

Today we tell another chapter in the amazing Nvidia saga: the dawn of the AI era. Tune in!

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