People attending the Nvidia GTC 2024 conference in downtown San Jose gather at the city's convention center. The main focus of the AI event is artificial intelligence.
SAN JOSE — Nvidia executives and the mayor of San Jose touted Silicon Valley's artificial intelligence and innovation boom at a packed event for startups and entrepreneurs held during the tech giant's GTC 2024 gathering.
Tech innovators packed the grand ballroom of a downtown San Jose hotel Monday night to network with each other during the Nvidia Inception reception, hoping to propose and discover the next innovative idea.
“The Inception program is one of Nvidia's most important initiatives,” said Greg Estes, Nvidia's vice president of developer programs, in his opening speech at the important conference.
Nvidia executives and founders attended the launch event in downtown San Jose and offered ideas and insights to startup executives and entrepreneurs. Nvidia leaders interacted with heads of startups and infant companies who wanted to ensure their products and services caught the tech giant's attention.
“I hope the next trillion-dollar company is in this room,” Estes told Inception reception attendees Monday night. “That's very likely.”
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan made it clear in his speech that the city wants to take advantage of the benefits and cutting-edge technology created by artificial intelligence.
Mayor Mahan told the assembled entrepreneurs, “As a former startup founder and now an elected official, I would be remiss if I didn't pitch you my latest startup ideas.”
Artificial intelligence will help the Bay Area's largest city solve everyday challenges and increase efficiency in service delivery, the mayor declared in his presentation.
“Work with us to build the city of the future here in San Jose,” Mahan said. “We are working to create incentives to build a strong startup ecosystem downtown.”
The city of San Jose has already launched artificial intelligence to determine whether AI can help detect, prioritize, and remediate potholes in the city. In the mayor's view, that's just scratching the surface.
“We are working to embrace and encourage innovation,” the mayor said. “We lead the country in patents per capita, including patents in AI and machine learning. The San Jose subway received 10,000 AI patents last year, compared to its neighbor to the north. It’s twice the size of San Francisco, which is a small city.”
In 2023, the City of San Jose led the launch of the GovAI Coalition to help shape the future of artificial intelligence in government agencies and services.
In an interview with this news organization after his speech, Mahan said multiple efforts are underway to find a potential site for an artificial intelligence incubator in downtown San Jose.
“We have to create an environment that supports AI startups in San Jose,” Mahan said. “The primary sponsor of the AI He Incubator in San Jose must be the private sector.”
One key strategy for building a vibrant artificial intelligence ecosystem in San Jose is for the city to strengthen its already strong ties and collaborative efforts with San Jose State University, the mayor suggests Did.
SJSU's Charles W. Davidson School of Engineering is one of the nation's top schools for computer, electronics, electrical, and mechanical engineering, according to multiple rigorous studies.
“Working with San Jose State University allows us to go even deeper,” Mahan said. “The talent pool at SJSU is unparalleled. We can do more to advance the skills of San Jose State students.”
The Nvidia conference, dubbed “AI Woodstock” by Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya, was expected to draw 300,000 attendees this week.
An estimated 11,000 people packed into the SAP Center on Monday to hear the conference keynote address by Jensen Huang, CEO and co-founder of Santa Clara-based Nvidia.
Huang announced a powerful new AI chip in his keynote address and discussed the growing influence of artificial intelligence during his speech.
“Computers are the single most important device in today's society,” Huang said. “Fundamental changes in computing will impact every industry.”
