Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced during an earnings call that the company’s newest AI chip, Blackwell, will begin shipping next quarter. This chip is twice as fast as Nvidia’s current Hopper chip, marking a significant advancement in the company’s technology. Huang also mentioned that Blackwell boasts five times the AI performance of the current iteration. The company has been working on the production of Blackwell, with shipments set to start in the second quarter and ramp up in Q3, allowing customers to have data centers up and running by the fourth quarter.
Nvidia’s successful earnings call revealed a surge in year-over-year revenues, with the stock reaching record highs. Huang expressed optimism for the future, highlighting the potential for growth with the Blackwell platform. Despite this, demand for Nvidia’s current hardware, such as the Hopper chip, remains strong. Huang mentioned that there is increasing demand for Hopper, and he expects this trend to continue as the transition to Blackwell takes place.
Blackwell systems have been designed to be compatible with Hopper, making the transition between the two chips easier for customers. The next-generation graphics processor is expected to cost between $30,000 and $40,000 per unit. However, Nvidia faces competition from other companies that are working on developing rival chips. Despite potential challenges, Nvidia remains poised for growth with the release of the Blackwell chip and continued demand for its current hardware.