Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Nvidia to supply AI processors to Reliance

Nvidia expands ties with Infosys, Wipro, TCS

Nvidia to supply AI processors to Reliance
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang poses for a selfie after a press conference in Mumbai, India, October 24, 2024. REUTERS/Arsheeya Bajwa

NVIDIA will supply artificial intelligence processors to Indian companies such as Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries, the chip giant said on Thursday (24), as it deepens partnerships to exploit a growing market.

The US company will supply its Blackwell AI processors for a one-gigawatt data centre Reliance is building in the western state of Gujarat, chief executive Jensen Huang and Ambani told an AI summit in Mumbai.


Nvidia said it also plans to supply tens of thousands of its Hopper AI chips to build large-scale data centres, in an expansion led by firms such as data centre provider Yotta Data Services and Tata Communications.

"In the future, India is going to be the country that will export AI," Huang said, by contrast with its role in software exports. "You have the fundamental ingredients - AI, data and AI infrastructure, and you have a large population of users."

From large companies to startups, businesses in India have focused on building AI models based on its array of languages to grow consumer appeal and drive activities such as customer service AI assistants and content translation.

With more than 1.4 billion people and low-cost internet access, the South Asian nation is also a key growth market for US technology giants.

Nvidia said Indian IT services firm Tech Mahindra is the first to use its new Hindi-language AI model to develop a custom AI model called Indus 2.0, focused on the language widely spoken nationwide, and its dozens of dialects.

Besides Tech Mahindra, Nvidia is partnering with IT giants such as Infosys, TCS and Wipro, to train about half a million developers to design and deploy AI agents using its software.

Reliance and Ola Electric were among the companies set to use Nvidia's "Omniverse" simulation technology, to test factory plans in a virtual world.

Huang talked up India's AI prospects at the Nvidia event that managers said was delayed by a large crowd which flocked to catch a glimpse of the leather jacket-clad boss of the three-trillion-dollar chip firm.

"India is already world-class in designing chips, India already develops AI," Huang said. "Instead of being an outsourcer and a back office, India will become an exporter of AI."

The Hindi-language AI model launched on Thursday builds on Huang's view that every country needs to produce AI using its own infrastructure, data and workforce to ensure it is inclusive.

After first setting up shop nearly two decades ago, Nvidia has engineering and design centers in India, as well as offices in key cities such as the tech hub of Bengaluru and neighbouring Hyderabad.

In September last year, Reliance and Nvidia vowed to develop AI supercomputers in India and build large language models trained on its languages. Later that year, Nvidia unveiled a similar partnership with Tata Group.

India's ambitions in AI, including the government's investment of $1.25 billion (£1.02bn) to fund startups, projects and the development of LLMs have not been without hurdles, however.

Its chipmaking industry is still nascent, as the capital-intensive effort to set up fabs, or fabrication facilities, typically takes years, and running one requires specially trained professionals. India has yet to produce its first chip.

While global chip firms are investing and setting up facilities in India as it races to build up the semiconductor industry and compete with major hubs such as Taiwan, analysts see a long road ahead.

"Today, India as part of Nvidia's revenue is small," Huang said. "But our hopes are large."

(Reuters)

More For You

Historic Dandi march garland up for bidding

Nanduben Kanuga presents the tinsel garland to Mahatma Gandhi in 1930

Historic Dandi march garland up for bidding

A TINSEL garland worn by Mahatma Gandhi during the Dandi March of 1930 remains open for bids after failing to meet its £20,000-£30,000 guide price at a UK auction.

The garland, with folded paper wrappers inscribed in Gujarati, is believed to have been presented as the Salt March passed near the Ahmedabad home of Gandhi’s personal physician, Dr Balvantrai N Kanuga. It was offered by his wife, Nanduben Kanuga.

Keep ReadingShow less
INSET Zakir Hussain playing Tabla. Photo courtesy Asian Arts Agency
Zakir Hussain
Asian Arts Agency

Musicians and fans mourn tabla maestro Hussain

INDIA’S prime minister Narendra Modi and prominent musicians from India and the UK have paid tribute to Zakir Hussain, hailing the percussionist as the “king” of tabla, a one-of-akind musician, and one of the world’s most beloved artists.

Hussain, 73, passed away in a San Francisco hospital early on Monday (16), reportedly due to lung disease.

Keep ReadingShow less
Zakir Hussain tribute: ‘His fusion style drew younger audiences’

Zakir Hussain

Asian Arts Agency

Zakir Hussain tribute: ‘His fusion style drew younger audiences’

Viram Jasani

THE year 2024 has been deeply sad for Indian music, marked by the loss of some of its greatest artists: Ustad Rashid Khan, Pandit Ramnarayan, Ustad Ashish Khan, and now Ustad Zakir Hussain. The connection to the “golden age” of Indian music is now almost entirely gone.

The loss of Hussain will be acutely felt by many who loved and admired him.

Keep ReadingShow less
Zakir Hussain tribute: 'He was at ease playing with greats or for Kathak dancers’

Zakir Hussain with Jay Visvadeva

Zakir Hussain tribute: 'He was at ease playing with greats or for Kathak dancers’

ZAKIR HUSSAIN exuded beauty, his inner beauty. He was very soft, warm and affectionate. I’ve never seen him angry during my 45 years of association with him, except for once way back in 1990. He and I collaborated together for 20 years, and then he moved on. He took a larger stage.

I met Zakir when he was 22 in 1973 – he was five years my elder and he was already quite well known in the west. I had met his father (Ustad Alla Rakha) earlier.

Keep ReadingShow less
Person of Interest questions Prevent’s effects on Muslims

Asim Chaudhry plays Shakil

Person of Interest questions Prevent’s effects on Muslims

AN UBER driver’s desperate attempt to cope with grief and loss sparks a deeper exploration of what it means to be a British Muslim in Channel 4’s short drama, Person of Interest.

Asim Chaudhry plays Shakil (known for People Just Do Nothing, Industry, What’s Love Got to Do with It), a football loving Londoner whose fears of being surveilled intensify as he drives passengers through the night.

Keep ReadingShow less