Amid several AI software announcements, Nvidia founder, CEO, and fashion icon Jensen Huang unveiled a new platform for AI PCs aimed at developers. This move was anticipated by many analysts, as the combination of the Grace (Arm) CPU and the Blackwell GPU in the same package is set to challenge PC giants like Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. (However, it isn't a general-purpose AI PC just yet. (Disclosure: Nvidia is a client of my firm, Cambrian-ai Research. ) ### A New AI PC, Exclusively for Developers Project DIGITS is a compact box available through Nvidia and "Top Partners" starting at $3000. By adding a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, or purchasing these from a partner, users gain access to what may be the fastest and most comprehensive AI development workstation available. This setup delivers a full petaflop of FP4 performance and supports a wide range of Nvidia AI software, such as NEMO and Omniverse. Each Project DIGITS unit boasts 128GB of unified, coherent memory and up to 4TB of NVMe storage, operating on standard wall power. This platform enables developers to run AI models with up to 200 billion parameters. Additionally, using NVIDIA ConnectX networking, two Project DIGITS AI systems can be connected to handle models with up to 405 billion parameters. It's like having a server-grade setup without the server! With DIGITS, researchers can prototype, fine-tune, and test models on a local Linux-based workstation running NVIDIA DGX OS, before deploying them on NVIDIA DGX Cloud, accelerated cloud instances, or data center infrastructure. ### But Does an AI PC Run Windows? Since most developers favor Linux, DIGITS is designed to support that OS.

Therefore, it's not yet a general-purpose PC until it potentially adds Microsoft Windows support. Huang emphasized that this platform targets AI developers, not AI users, aiming to "Place an AI supercomputer on the desks of every data scientist, AI researcher, and student, empowering them to engage and shape the age of AI. " Interestingly, MediaTek partnered with Nvidia in designing the GB10, enhancing its power efficiency, performance, and connectivity. This likely reflects MediaTek's SoC design expertise. Previously, Nvidia and MediaTek had announced collaborations on automotive solutions, suggesting a deepening of their partnership. ### Is an End-User AI PC on the Horizon? A high-speed AI PC for developers is exciting, but one for end users could upend the PC CPU market. For "Project" DIGITS to evolve into an AI PC powerhouse, support from Microsoft Windows and PC manufacturers like HP, Dell, and Lenovo is essential. Testing and certifying the new Arm-based platform for Windows could be feasible, given Qualcomm Snapdragon's integration of Arm CPU cores into Windows. Although this transition takes time, announcements might be possible by the GPU Technology Conference (GTC). Such a move could unlock an incremental multi-billion dollar market for Nvidia. Moreover, this overview doesn't even cover all the exciting software Nvidia announced or the company's landmark deal with Toyota on autonomous vehicles—a tale for another day.