Nvidia CEO advocates for 'Sovereign AI'

Jensen Huang calls for countries to own their own AI systems

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang has emphasised the importance of countries owning the production of their own artificial intelligence at a summit in Dubai.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit, alongside the UAE's Minister of AI, Huang highlighted the concept of "sovereign AI" as a significant opportunity for global leaders.

"It codifies your culture, your society's intelligence, your common sense, your history - you own your own data," Huang said.

Minister Omar Al Olama shared his support for this vision, saying, "That's why the UAE is moving aggressively on creating large language models and mobilising compute."

The event, attended by over 4,000 delegates from 150 countries, was intended to showcase the UAE's transformation into a global information technology hub, with Dubai being a focal point.

Huang's tour, which included meetings with leaders from various countries, highlights the global significance of AI development. The Middle East stands to benefit significantly from AI, with PwC projecting a $320 billion boost to the region's economy by 2030.

During the summit, Huang urged leaders not to be intimidated by AI, emphasising its ability to take directions from ordinary humans and the importance of infusing it with local languages and expertise.

When asked about approaching AI in developing nations, Huang stressed the importance of building infrastructure and codifying local language and culture into large language models.

"Nvidia GPU is the only platform that's available to everybody on any platform," he said, somewhat predictably.

Nvidia has catapulted to a $1.73 trillion stock market value due to its dominance of the market for high-end AI chips.