NVIDIA vs. Anti-NVIDIA... Divergent Moves Even in Taiwan

NVIDIA and TSMC Separate Schedules
AMD CEO Keynote Speech
Partners Like MS Called on Stage
Possible Collaboration with Samsung Electronics
Qualcomm CEO Also Says "We Are One Team"

Global big tech companies participating in the ICT exhibition 'Computex 2024' held in Taipei, Taiwan, are showing different approaches, drawing attention. They are largely divided into two groups: Nvidia and other companies. Among local insiders, there is an assessment that an invisible power struggle is taking place in Taiwan, effectively forming an alliance of Nvidia versus anti-Nvidia factions. While Nvidia and TSMC have formed an alliance, AMD, which competes in accelerators, indicated the possibility of purchasing Samsung Electronics' 3nm (1nm = one billionth of a meter) Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology semiconductors, stating they will "use the most advanced technology." However, with many global big tech CEOs attending this event, collaboration with Taiwanese IT companies has become an important task regardless of faction.

On the 3rd, at the Computex 2024 keynote speech held at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan, AMD CEO Lisa Su and HP CEO Enrique Lores stood side by side on the podium explaining their cooperative relationship. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On the morning of the 4th, Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO, delivered the keynote speech at the official venue of Computex, the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan. Meanwhile, Jensen Huang, Nvidia CEO, held a press conference in the afternoon on the same day at a separate location, the Grand Hyatt Taipei Hotel, instead of the Nangang Exhibition Center.

Nvidia's solo approach has continued throughout the duration of Computex. Previously, AMD and Qualcomm delivered their CEO keynote speeches at the Nangang Exhibition Center the day before, while Nvidia held Huang's keynote speech separately on the 2nd at the National Taiwan University Sports Center. It is reported that Huang and Nvidia will continue to follow a similar schedule for the remaining events.

A local industry insider said, "Nvidia's scale and position have grown so much that it seems to be exerting influence to conduct its schedule separately without mixing with the same group of competitors," adding, "It can also be read as a strategy to stand out on its own."

The Nangang Exhibition Center, which Nvidia does not use, has become the main stage for anti-Nvidia companies. AMD, Qualcomm, and others actively introduced their partner companies they collaborate with, showcasing their 'alliance' relationships. As if to show Nvidia, during the CEOs' keynote speeches, they called partner CEOs onto the stage, embraced each other, and exchanged jokes, proving their close relationships.

At the Computex 2024 keynote held on the 3rd at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan, Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, and Pavan Dabbuluri, Vice President of Microsoft Windows Devices, stood side by side on the podium explaining their collaborative relationship. Photo by Reuters

Lisa Su, AMD CEO, who took the stage the previous day, called up representatives of AMD's partner companies such as Microsoft (MS), HP, Lenovo, and ASUS. All of these companies have incorporated AMD's AI-capable laptop processor 'Ryzen' into their products. During Su's speech, Satya Nadella, MS CEO, emphasized in a video message, "The deep partnership with AMD, which has expanded from PCs to current AI and various computing platforms, is very important to us." The appearance of partner companies reinforced Su's announcement of the new AI chip 'Instinct MI325X' to be released within the year, receiving much applause from the audience. Qualcomm also gathered its partners. Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm CEO, called MS, ASUS, Acer, and HP representatives to the stage. Amon emphasized that they have created many joint new products such as Copilot+ PCs, saying, "We are basically one team."

The offensive by competitors allied against Nvidia is expected to continue. Big tech companies excluding Nvidia, such as Google, AMD, Intel, Meta, and MS, recently announced a new AI initiative called the 'Promoter Group.' It is a group creating 'open standards' that AI accelerators must follow when communicating with each other to help process the vast amounts of data used in AI tasks. Many companies participating in this group, including AMD and Intel, are also exhibiting at Computex.

On the 3rd, during the Computex 2024 keynote speech held at the Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan, Luca Rossi, head of Lenovo Intelligent Devices Group, and Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm, stood side by side on the podium showing their thumbs up. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

Samsung Electronics also drew attention during the introduction of partner companies collaborating with each firm. In Qualcomm and ARM's speeches, Choi Won-jun, Vice President and Head of R&D at Samsung Electronics' Mobile Experience (MX) Division, appeared in videos from each company, saying, "We have implemented many new technologies together, including Galaxy AI," and expressed gratitude for the collaboration. Samsung Electronics was also mentioned at a press conference held by AMD's CEO Su. After the keynote speech, Su cautiously hinted at the possibility of cooperation with Samsung Electronics. When asked, "Does AMD plan to purchase Samsung Electronics' 3nm GAA technology semiconductors?" she replied, "We are committed to using the most advanced technology," adding, "This obviously means we will use 3nm, 2nm, and beyond."