Jensen Huang (Nvidia Co-founder) – Jensen Huang at Future in Review 2010 (2010)
Chapters
00:00:04 The Future of Computing: Parallel Computing and the PC Refresh Moment
The Five Reasons for Inviting Jensen Huang: To discuss emerging platforms, particularly the emergence of XY computing or massive parallel computing. To explore the world’s trajectory in five years regarding computing platforms. To understand how GPUs can drive the transition to parallel computing.
Current Focus of Jensen Huang’s Company: World’s largest computer graphics or computer technology company. Applications in broadcast, car design, commercials, video games, PCs, game consoles, and cars. Investment in three main areas: Parallel computing using GPUs. Reinventing the PC through parallel computing. Synthesizing apparent reality instead of replaying captured reality.
Parallel Computing and the PC: Parallel computing is revolutionizing the PC, bringing a 100-1,000 fold increase in capability. This opens up new possibilities for software developers and creates a discontinuity in computing experiences. Moore’s Law’s slowdown in recent years can be compensated for by parallel computing.
The Problem Landscape: The challenge of parallel computing in the past was the lack of efficient processor architectures and software development tools. The emergence of new problems, such as those in gaming and high visualization, has shifted the focus away from old problems. GPUs have enabled new designs for solving the new problem landscape.
CUDA and the Rise of Parallel Computing Architectures: CUDA, Direct Compute, and OpenCL are examples of parallel computing architectures that have emerged. The key is to create an architecture that delivers significant speed-up, inspiring software programmers. Once the architecture is established, tools and software development follow, leading to a virtuous cycle.
The Role of GPUs in Driving Parallel Computing: GPUs have a day job in gaming, enabling the widespread distribution of parallel computing architectures. The pervasive presence of GPUs in workstations, supercomputers, and consumer products has opened up new possibilities for parallel computing.
Killer Apps of Parallel Computing: Computer vision, computational photography, and image processing are among the killer apps emerging from parallel computing. New capabilities such as real-time fire simulation, Photoshop on the fly, and refocusing images are becoming possible.
00:12:06 3D, Mobile Computing, and the Future of Computing Devices
Groundbreaking Cinematic Experiences: Mark Anderson envisions realistic, immersive cinematic experiences beyond Avatar, with real-time simulated art and the ability to dynamically adjust facial features.
Next-Generation Avatars: Jensen Huang plans to enhance the technology used in Avatar to create more awe-inspiring and eerie experiences, extending these advances to home entertainment.
3D Glasses for Immersive Gaming: Huang recalls initial skepticism about 3D glasses for computers but emphasizes their acceptance, akin to headphones for music and eyewear for cycling. The 3D experience, showcased in World of Warcraft, provides an immersive sense of presence within the game world.
Mobile Computing Innovations: Huang discusses NVIDIA’s investment in mobile computing, introducing the Tegra processor for mobile devices. The Tegra architecture is designed for exceptional energy efficiency, enabling a new wave of Moore’s Law advancements. Tegra’s initial products include the Microsoft Zoom HD and Microsoft kid and phones, with the second-generation Tegra expanding into various devices, including tablets, laptops, automobiles, and smartphones. This proliferation of computing devices aligns with Ray’s earlier prediction of appliances becoming ubiquitous.
00:15:45 Future of Mobile Computing: Tablets as Leisure Devices
Key Themes: Shift from CPU-driven to experiential processing. Mobile devices becoming windows into virtual 3D spaces. Augmented reality and computer vision enabling new interactive experiences. Convergence of mobile and stationary computing through wireless connections. Tablets emerging as leisure computing devices.
Jensen Huang’s Vision: Mobile devices as windows to virtual 3D spaces. Seamless transition between mobile and desktop computing environments. Tablets as the most popular form factor for leisure computing.
Mark Anderson’s Vision: A single device that seamlessly integrates mobile and stationary computing. The rise of consumer-based apps for mobile devices.
Industry Trends: Growing financial pressure to differentiate mobile devices from enterprise systems. Potential for mobile devices to become appliance-like, focusing on leisure computing.
00:24:36 Protecting Intellectual Property in a Modern, Open Enterprise
Jensen Huang’s Perspective on the Enterprise and Consumer Markets: Jensen Huang believes that the leisure computing market is immense, and the enterprise market is not as important. Consumer devices often end up in the enterprise, and he highlights that this leads to pressure on IT departments to incorporate consumer devices into their systems. Huang emphasizes the need for a modern operating system that can function both as a consumer device and within the enterprise.
Mark Anderson’s Thoughts on Cyber Security and Intellectual Property: Mark Anderson brings up concerns about cyber warfare and protection of intellectual property, as vulnerabilities can lead to stolen trade secrets. Huang acknowledges that NVIDIA’s intellectual property leaves the company through trade secrets and working knowledge. He expresses that the most valuable intellectual property lies in employees and their thought processes, which are vulnerable to loss as employees leave the company.
The Knowledge Economy and Intellectual Property: Huang highlights the notion that the core value of a company lies in its employees’ knowledge and thought processes rather than the tangible products they produce. Anderson draws on Hegelian ideas to suggest that intellectual property seeps out from employees on the edge of a power structure of ideas. The loss of a spreadsheet may not be significant, but the loss of knowledge about how NVIDIA works and reinvents itself is critical to the company’s survival.
Intellectual Property Protection Challenges: Huang acknowledges the difficulty in protecting intellectual property, especially with the example of the Integra blueprint. He highlights that protecting against competitors like Intel, who have expressed interest in NVIDIA’s CUDA technology, is challenging.
00:29:28 The Future of Computing: Augmented Reality, Wall Computing, and Security
The Arms Race of Security: Security is an arms race between those protecting systems and hackers exploiting them. GPUs, if used for password hacking, could also be used for encryption, providing a potential solution to the growing security threats.
Encrypted Computing and Services: Cloud computing, along with technologies like remote rendering, offers a more secure computing environment by transforming applications and data into a services environment. H.264 compression enables amazing rendering speeds, streamed to devices for a secure experience.
Real-time Capabilities of GPUs: GPUs enable real-time computing for tasks like motion detection and mosquito identification using lasers. Parallel computing opens up a wide range of real-time applications.
Wall Computing: Wall computing involves large touch-sensitive surfaces that can identify users and enable real-time collaboration. Accessing real-time databases and combining expertise, users can compute together in real-time using touch and gestural interfaces.
Augmented Reality and the Future of Computing: Augmented reality, combined with cloud computing, computer vision, and touch interfaces, will create immersive experiences. Nvidia’s goal is to invest in technology to make these magical experiences a reality. Augmented reality is poised to be Nvidia’s greatest contribution to computing, blurring the lines between the real and virtual worlds.
Video Conferencing and Eye Contact: Current video conferencing technologies lack true eye contact, breaking trust and diminishing the sense of presence. Computer vision, 3D graphics, and augmented reality can be used to establish eye contact in video conferencing, enhancing the overall experience.
00:37:30 The Evolving Landscape of Visual Computing: NVIDIA's Perspective on Innovation and Challenges
NVIDIA’s Core Cultural Values: Foster a high tolerance for failure and institutional acceptance of unpredictability to encourage innovation. Hire employees who genuinely love the work for its own sake, creating a culture that attracts top talent. Understand that success comes in many forms, including creating enjoyable experiences, scientific breakthroughs, and solving global problems.
Opportunities in Emerging Technologies: Flexible displays and printed electronics are viewed as opportunities for expanding visual computing experiences beyond traditional platforms. 3D displays without glasses and translucent displays are expected to offer immersive experiences within the next few years. Augmented reality will be a significant trend, enabled by translucent displays that allow for overlaying digital information on the physical world. Efficient computing in cars is crucial for weight reduction and fuel efficiency, making it a key market for NVIDIA.
Thoughts on Competition with Intel: NVIDIA and Intel have a unique relationship where they do not directly compete on products. Tensions arise due to NVIDIA’s focus on visual computing becoming increasingly relevant, which Intel may eventually need to address. NVIDIA emphasizes its focus on protecting its interests rather than confronting Intel, as evidenced by the fact that Intel initiated the lawsuit. NVIDIA’s long-term vision to revolutionize experiences through computer graphics has positioned the company in the center of transformative technological advancements.
Abstract
Revolutionizing Computing: The Parallel Computing Paradigm and NVIDIA’s Visionary Role
Abstract:
The computing landscape is undergoing a transformative shift, driven by the evolution of parallel computing and the pivotal role of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). This article delves into the key developments in parallel computing, its applications, challenges in software development, future prospects, and the visionary approach of NVIDIA in shaping this new era. By adopting an inverted pyramid style, the most critical aspects are highlighted upfront, followed by supportive and background details, offering a comprehensive view of the current and future state of computing.
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Emerging Platforms and Parallel Computing:
The maturity of the PC market signals a significant refresh, primarily through the advent of parallel computing. This shift compensates for the slowdown in Moore’s Law, a cornerstone in the advancement of traditional computing. GPUs, known for their inherent parallelism, have become the ideal vehicle for this new computational approach. Originally popularized by their gaming capabilities, GPUs have now paved the way for parallel computing to become pervasive.
NVIDIA’s Vision for the Future of Computing
Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, envisions a future where parallel computing becomes the norm and revolutionizes the PC, opening up new possibilities for software developers and creating a discontinuity in computing experiences. Additionally, he anticipates a shift from CPU-driven to experiential processing, with mobile devices becoming windows into virtual 3D spaces.
The Emergence of XY Computing
Jensen Huang also emphasizes the emergence of XY computing or massive parallel computing as a key trend shaping the future of computing. He believes this new paradigm will enable computers to handle complex problems faster and more efficiently.
Killer Apps of Parallel Computing:
The implications of parallel computing extend far beyond traditional computing fields. It is enabling a myriad of new applications like computer vision, computational photography, and real-time fire simulation, all of which are transforming industries and fueling innovation. Addressing the challenges of programming for parallel architectures, the industry has rallied to create standardized programming models and tools, making parallel programming more accessible and less daunting for a broader range of developers.
NVIDIA’s Contributions and Future Outlook:
At the forefront of this paradigm shift is NVIDIA, a company that has been instrumental in driving the adoption and evolution of parallel computing. Their contributions, as highlighted by Jensen Huang, include significant work on the Avatar movies and the introduction of 3D glasses for computers. Their vision extends to immersive 3D content, exemplified by popular games like World of Warcraft in 3D, and the development of energy-efficient Tegra processors for mobile devices.
NVIDIA’s Journey of Innovation
NVIDIA’s journey to the forefront of visual computing has been marked by strategic positioning and a passion for innovation. They have consistently invested in three main areas:
1. Parallel computing using GPUs.
2. Reinventing the PC through parallel computing.
3. Synthesizing apparent reality instead of replaying captured reality.
The Dynamic Relationship between NVIDIA and Intel
The dynamic between NVIDIA and Intel underscores the shifting landscape of computing, where visual computing is becoming increasingly critical, potentially disrupting traditional market positions.
Blending the Digital and Real Worlds:
NVIDIA’s vision extends to creating technologies that seamlessly blend the digital and real worlds. Augmented reality and technologies like computer vision are key to this ambition. Their goal to light every pixel in the world, whether on devices, signage, or walls, highlights their commitment to enhancing user experiences through technology.
The Mobile Revolution and Consumer Focus:
The rise of mobile computing, particularly through devices like tablets and smartphones, is reshaping user experiences. These devices, capable of offering immersive 3D experiences and augmented reality, are revolutionizing both leisure and enterprise computing. The popularity of the tablet form factor for leisure activities like reading and gaming underscores the immense potential of these devices as leisure computing platforms. This shift is leading to a separation in the development of consumer and enterprise applications, with a significant focus on the consumer market.
Cybersecurity and Innovative Technologies:
However, this new era of computing is not without its challenges. Cybersecurity threats, particularly the risk of intellectual property theft, have become a major concern. Companies like NVIDIA acknowledge the difficulty in protecting their intellectual property, given that their most valuable assets reside within their employees. This scenario has made GPUs crucial not just for computing but also for encryption and security purposes.
Innovation Culture and Future Technologies:
The culture of innovation, as exhibited by NVIDIA, underlines the importance of embracing failures and fostering a passion for work beyond financial incentives. This culture is crucial for groundbreaking inventions and attracting like-minded individuals. Looking ahead, the future of display technology, including flexible and translucent displays, offers exciting prospects for visual computing. Efficient computing in cars, another area of focus, points to significant advancements in fuel efficiency and user experiences.
NVIDIA’s Vision and Relationship with Intel:
NVIDIA’s vision has always been to revolutionize computer graphics, transforming it from a niche tool to a medium that greatly impacts user experiences. Their journey, marked by strategic positioning and a passion for innovation, has placed them at the heart of the visual computing revolution. The dynamic between NVIDIA and Intel underscores the shifting landscape of computing, where visual computing is becoming increasingly critical, potentially disrupting traditional market positions.
In conclusion, the evolution of parallel computing, led by GPUs and visionary companies like NVIDIA, is not just reshaping the computing landscape but also redefining user experiences and possibilities in various industries. From mobile devices to cybersecurity, the impact of this shift is vast and multifaceted. As we look towards a future where technology seamlessly integrates with our daily lives, the role of companies like NVIDIA in driving these advancements becomes increasingly significant. The journey of computing is far from over, and its future, marked by innovation and transformative technologies, is as exciting as ever.
Supplemental Updates
The Enterprise vs. the Consumer in the Tech Industry:
Jensen Huang believes that the leisure computing market is immense, and the enterprise market is not as important. He highlights that consumer devices often end up in the enterprise, leading to pressure on IT departments to incorporate them into their systems. Mark Anderson emphasizes the importance of protecting intellectual property, as vulnerabilities can lead to stolen trade secrets. Huang acknowledges the difficulty in protecting intellectual property, especially with the example of the Integra blueprint. He expresses that the most valuable intellectual property lies in employees and their thought processes, which are vulnerable to loss as employees leave the company.
Nvidia’s Chief Executive Discusses Innovations in Real-time Encryption, Motion Detection, Augmented Reality, and Wall Computing:
Huang highlights the importance of security in the face of growing threats, suggesting the use of GPUs for encryption. He also discusses the potential of cloud computing and remote rendering for a more secure computing environment. GPUs enable real-time computing for tasks like motion detection and mosquito identification. Wall computing involves large touch-sensitive surfaces that can identify users and enable real-time collaboration. Augmented reality, combined with cloud computing, computer vision, and touch interfaces, will create immersive experiences. Nvidia aims to invest in technology to make these magical experiences a reality.
Jensen Huang’s Insights on Building a Successful Company in the Tech Industry:
NVIDIA’s core cultural values include fostering a high tolerance for failure, hiring employees who genuinely love their work, and understanding that success comes in many forms. Opportunities in emerging technologies such as flexible displays, printed electronics, and augmented reality are viewed as promising areas for expansion. Efficient computing in cars is also a key market for NVIDIA.
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