Reliance and Nvidia are partnering to build AI infrastructure in India

Mumbai: Nvidia Corp has struck a deal with billionaire Mukesh Ambani's conglomerate Reliance Industries to build out an artificial intelligence (AI) computing infrastructure as well an innovation centre in India, the AI chip giant's CEO Jensen Huang said on Thursday.

A new major data centre by Reliance Industries will use the latest Nvidia's Blackwell AI chips.

India, a country "dear" to the world's computer industry, is set to witness 20 times growth in compute capacities in 2024, and will soon be exporting impactful AI solutions, Nvidia founder said.

"India is very, very dear to the world's computer industry, central to the IT industry, at the centre and core of the IT of just about every single company in the world."

"Nvidia's ecosystem in India is very rich; 2024 will see a a 20 times growth in compute capacities in India," he said.

Nvidia already has presence in six locations across India. The US firm works with enterprises, cloud providers and startups to build AI infrastructure powered by Nvidia's accelerated computing stack comprising tens of thousands of its most advanced GPUs, high-performance networking, and AI software platforms and tools.

At the Nvidia AI Summit 2024 here, Ambani and Huang had a fireside chat to discuss India's transformative potential in AI and its emerging role as a global leader in this field.

The partnership between Reliance and Nvidia aims to build a robust AI infrastructure in the country, which Ambani believes will not only enhance local capabilities but also position India as a significant player in the global intelligence market.

"India will start with the absolutely best that Nvidia has," Ambani said.

Huang, during a press conference, told reporters here that the partnership also includes creating applications that Reliance could offer to consumers in India.

"We will also have an innovation centre as part of the tie-up," he said.

He did not quantify the size of the infrastructure to be built.

"India is already world class in designing chips, Nvidia's are designed here in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune. A third of Nvidia is Indian, may be more," Huang said.

During the fireside chat, Ambani said India is on the brink of a new intelligence age and will surprise the world with its achievements in intelligence technology over the coming years.

New technologies like AI and the aspirations of people are driving the Indian economy, he said.

"We are at the doorsteps of the new intelligence age. India will be one of the biggest intelligence markets. It's not just our aspiration, but also the raw gene power which will help drive intelligence.

"India will not just deliver CEOs to world, but also AI services," Ambani asserted.

He noted that apart from the United States and China, India boasts one of the best digital connectivity infrastructures, with extensive networks of 4G, 5G, and broadband services.

He said Reliance Jio is the largest data company globally, pointing out that it delivers data at a low cost of 15 cents per GB, compared to USD 5 per GB in the US.

"Like we did with data, in few years from now we can surprise the world with what Indians can achieve in intelligence," he said.