The context is the Computex Taiwan, the largest Asian forum dedicated to electronics, with artificial intelligence obviously at the center of the discussions. The opening session was Jensen Huang, the CEO of Nvidia which amazed with its vision beyond borders. Huang illustrated the plans for allow customers to implement rival chips in data centers built around its technology, a move that recognizes the growth of in-house semiconductor development by major customers such as Microsoft e Amazon.com. In the meantime, Nvidia and Mgx, Abu Dhabi's investment vehicle are collaborating with French companies to accomplish what they claim will be Europe's largest AI data center campus, promoting French and Emirati ambitions in this sector, as reported Bloomberg.
Nvidia: Huang Opens Up to Competition with NvLink Fusion
Huang spent much of his nearly two-hour presentation celebrating the work of local supply chain partners. But his key announcement was a new NVLink Fusion system enabling the creation of more personalized AI infrastructures, combining Nvidia's high-speed links with semiconductors from other suppliers for the first time.
Until now, Nvidia has only offered complete computer systems built with proprietary components. This shift gives data center customers more flexibility and allows for some competition, while still keeping Nvidia technology front and center. NVLink Fusion products will give customers the option to use their own central processing units with Nvidia AI chips or pair Nvidia silicon with another company’s AI accelerator.
California-based Nvidia is looking to consolidate its position in the heart of the artificial intelligence boom and to maintain its growth, despite concerns that the data center spending is not sustainable. The company relies on a select group of cloud giants, known as hyperscalers, for much of its revenue.
For Nvidia and other U.S. companies, making theadoption of their products as easy as possible, also helps international clients facing increasing trade barriers imposed by the Trump administration.
“It gives hyperscalers the opportunity to build custom chips with NVLink integrated,” he told Bloomberg Ian Cutress, chief analyst at research firm More Than Moore: “Whether they do or not will depend on the hyperscaler’s belief that Nvidia will and will forever be the linchpin. I can imagine others avoiding it so as not to enter the Nvidia ecosystem any harder than necessary.”
In addition to opening access to his technology, Huang yesterday unveiled a series of Product improvements, including new software and hardware designs. All aimed at removing barriers to AI adoption in everything from corporate computer rooms to humanoid robots. Huang updated the launch timing of Nvidia’s next-generation GB300 systems, which he said will arrive in the third quarter of this year. They will mark an upgrade from the current high-end Grace Blackwell systems, a technology now being installed by cloud service providers.
Nvidia and Mgx together with the French: the project
Nvidia and Mgx, the investment vehicle of Abu Dhabi are collaborating with French companies to accomplish what they claim will be Europe's largest AI data center campus, promoting French and Emirati ambitions in this sector.
The goal is to build a campus near Paris with a capacity of 1,4 gigawatts, the companies said yesterday together with the French state investment company Bpifrance SACA and the national champion of artificial intelligence Mistral AIThe announcement was made at the Choose France summit in Versailles.
The initiative was born out of broader cooperation agreements on artificial intelligence signed last February, during the visit of the leader of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to the French president Emmanuel Macron. Those talks included the Emirates' plans to invest up to 50 billion euros in French data centers, as reported by Bloomberg News at the time.
The agreement combines the desire of the United Arab Emirates to diversify its economy and extend its political influence, with the commitment of the France to develop so-called AI sovereignty in Europe. Macron had previously announced €109 billion in investments in AI infrastructure as part of a strategy to compete with the United States and China.
Other partners in the AI campus include conglomerate Bouygues SA, energy operator EDF Group and science and engineering university Ecole Polytechnique, which also has a partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed Bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. The data center campus represents an investment of €8,5 billion and the first phase will be operational in 2028, according to a separate statement from Macron’s office.
Mgx has already backed OpenAI and xAI, and is among the entities helping to fund US President Donald Trump's $100 billion investment plan in artificial intelligence, called StargateThe project is overseen by one of the world’s most influential operators, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who also chairs G42, the Emirati tech conglomerate that will build a 5-gigawatt data center in the UAE with OpenAI.
