GPU Technology Conference

Nvidia GTC (GPU Technology Conference) is a global artificial intelligence (AI) conference for developers that brings together developers, engineers, researchers, inventors, and IT professionals. Topics focus on AI, computer graphics, data science, machine learning and autonomous machines. Each conference begins with a keynote from Nvidia CEO and founder Jensen Huang, followed by a variety of sessions and talks with experts from around the world.

It originated in 2009 in San Jose, California, with an initial focus on the potential for solving computing challenges through GPUs. In recent years, the conference focus has shifted to various applications of artificial intelligence and deep learning, including: self-driving cars, healthcare, high performance computing, professional visualization, and Nvidia Deep Learning Institute (DLI) training.

History

The first GTC was held from September 30 to October 2, 2009 at the Fairmont San Jose hotel and attracted roughly 1,500 attendees. The first GTC was so wildly popular that it ended up hosting "several hundred more people" than expected, forcing Nvidia to "shut down registration" at two weeks before the conference. ''The New York Times'' later described the atmosphere at the first GTC as akin to a science fair, where academics presented their work on posters.

Since GTC 2009, Nvidia has used the much larger San Jose Convention Center as GTC's primary venue. Along with Nvidia, GTC's size and prominence greatly increased during the AI boom.

According to Nvidia, Huang starts to plan his keynote address about two months before each GTC, to identify what announcements he will make and what things he will present or demonstrate on the stage. But Huang "speaks extemporaneously" while on stage, does not use a script, and does not rehearse in advance.

GTC 2018 attracted over 8,400 attendees. Due to the COVID pandemic of 2020, GTC 2020 was converted to a digital event and drew roughly 59,000 registrants. The 2021 GTC keynote, which was streamed on YouTube on April 12, included a portion that was made with CGI using the Nvidia Omniverse real-time rendering platform. Due to the photorealism of the event, including a model of CEO Jensen Huang, news outlets reported not being able to discern that a portion of the keynote was CGI until later revealed in a blog post on August 11.

GTC 2025 drew about 25,000 attendees to San Jose. To accommodate demand, Huang delivered his keynote address down the street at a hockey arena, SAP Center, which can hold about 17,000 people. By then, GTC and its host company had shifted focus so sharply from graphics to artificial intelligence that Huang himself called GTC the "Super Bowl of A.I." Nvidia wrapped Downtown San Jose in its "neon green and black colors". Demand for San Jose hotel rooms drove prices as high as $2,500 per night. One sign that GTC had evolved from a programmer-oriented developer conference into an executive-oriented business conference for networking and negotiating AI deals was that it took 35 minutes just to get into a nearby building set aside for business meetings. There were long lines everywhere inside the San Jose Convention Center, meaning that GTC may be getting too big for the center. In a joint promotion with Nvidia, Denny's parked its Mobile Diner outside the SAP Center before Huang's keynote address on March 18 and gave out free food samples to celebrate the fact that Nvidia was founded in a booth in a Denny's diner. On March 18, Nvidia also held a night market inspired by Huang's well-known affection for Taiwanese night markets. Thus, on March 18, hard-core attendees had to survive a grueling 12-hour schedule of events to get the full GTC experience.

References

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Artificial intelligence conferences
International business conferences