Boss of chipmaker Nvidia says emergence of AI means 'everyone is a programmer now'

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang: "The programming barrier is incredibly low. We have closed the digital divide." File picture: AP/Chiang Ying-ying

In a two-hour presentation, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unveiled a new batch of products and services tied to artificial intelligence, looking to capitalise on a frenzy that has made his company the world’s most valuable chipmaker.

The company last week forecast second-quarter revenue more than 50% above Wall Street estimates and said it was boosting supply to meet surging demand for its artificial-intelligence chips, which are used to power ChatGPT and many similar services.

"Every single computing era you could do different things that weren't possible before, and artificial intelligence certainly qualifies," Mr Huang said.

"The programming barrier is incredibly low. We have closed the digital divide. Everyone is a programmer now - you just have to say something to the computer," he said.

Microsoft, Facebook owner Meta and Google owner Alphabet are expected to be among the first users.

The announcements underscore Nvidia’s shift from a maker of computer graphics chips to a company at the centre of the AI boom.

Last week, Mr Huang gave a stunning sales forecast for the current quarter — almost $4bn above analysts’ estimates — fueled by demand for data-centre chips that handle AI tasks. That sent the stock to a record high and put Nvidia on the brink of a $1tn valuation — a first for the chip industry.

- Bloomberg and Reuters