Dive Brief:
- Nvidia unveiled three GPU-powered processor cards designed to run generative AI workloads on laptops at the CES conference in Las Vegas Monday.
- The RTX 4080 Super, 4070 Ti Super and 4070 Super graphics cards will begin shipping later this month, embedded in laptops from Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and other manufacturers, the Nvidia announcement said.
- The processors are optimized to run Nvidia’s growing suite of enterprise AI solutions, including Nvidia AI Enterprise, a cloud-native data science platform, and Nvidia AI Workbench, an interface available in beta later this month. Workbench is a developer platform equipped with multiple foundation models that can run in cloud, on-prem data centers and AI PCs.
Dive Insight:
As executives grapple with AI governance, data readiness and skills deficits, Nvidia is leaning on its position as a leading GPU manufacturer to expand its enterprise footprint.
In addition to unveiling the next generation of its industrial-grade data center GPU, the H200, and deepening its hyperscaler partnerships last year, the company launched a cloud-based large language model service for enterprises in November.
“We’d like to enable every company to be able to build their own custom AI,” Nvidia President and CEO Jensen Huang said, during a November earnings call.
Enterprises are looking to tailor the technology to specific tasks, from ingesting contracts and legal documents to assisting coders, all while managing data costs and security. For many use cases, deploying an array of modest-sized models with specialized functions on-prem is the solution.
“If you’ve got people training models, it’s nice to have the hardware available to them locally, where they can do more experimentation than they can do right now without the help of the cloud,” Erik Brown, senior partner, Product Experience and Engineering Lab at West Monroe, told CIO Dive.
Nvidia isn’t the only chipmaker bullish on the AI-enabled PC.
As organizations prepare to replace aging workstations, Intel announced its Core Ultra mobile processor last month. The AI-optimized chip is embedded in 230 PC models manufactured by Dell, Google, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Samsung and several other vendors.
“The next generation of PC processors can do a lot of the processing similar to a full-capacity GPU,” Forrester VP and Research Director Glenn O’Donnell said. “That's going to drive demand for AI at your desktop and in your lap, so to speak. And that's going to fuel a rush of PC sales.”
