Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA, a leader in American artificial intelligence (AI) chips, said on the 11th (local time) that 'quantum computing is reaching a turning point.'
During a keynote speech at Europe's largest startup fair, 'VivaTech,' and the GTC developer conference held in Paris, Huang noted, 'We are getting closer to the point where quantum computers can actually be applied to solve interesting problems in the coming years.'
He also mentioned NVIDIA's hybrid quantum-classical computing solution, 'Cuda Q', stating, 'This is truly an exciting time.' Cuda Q is an open-source platform that operates quantum computers alongside classical computers, which compensate for the limitations of quantum computers with NVIDIA's powerful graphics processing units (GPUs).
Compared to his previous remarks in January regarding the commercialization timeline for quantum computers, this is a significantly optimistic outlook. At that time, he projected that 'it would take 20 years for practical quantum computers to emerge.' As a result, stocks related to quantum computing corporations fell by about 40%.
Following Huang's remarks, stocks related to quantum computing showed mixed results on the New York Stock Exchange, with IonQ rising by about 2% and Rigetti by 12%, while D-Wave fell by 1%.
He also expressed being impressed by the 'large community' of quantum computing corporations in Europe, noting that he met with representatives from the French quantum startup Pasqal the previous night.
Huang further revealed plans to expand AI infrastructure in Europe, stating, 'We will build the world's first industrial AI cloud in Europe.' He explained, 'This industrial AI cloud will be used for the design and simulation of virtual wind tunnels, allowing real-time design alterations while observing vehicle movements in the virtual wind tunnel.'
In this regard, Reuters reported that NVIDIA will first establish an industrial AI cloud platform in Germany and will support processes ranging from product design simulations for automakers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz to logistics management by integrating AI and robotics.
Huang also noted, 'Europe now recognizes the importance of AI factories and AI infrastructure. I am pleased to see many activities taking place here,' adding that he expects to add 20 AI factories in Europe and to increase its AI computing capacity tenfold within two years.
Additionally, he introduced collaborative relationships with various countries, stating that they will build a cloud platform powered by 18,000 of NVIDIA's latest chips, Blackwell, with the French AI startup Mistral AI.