[Report] San Jose Sways with Green Waves... Opening of 'GTC 2025', a Feast of Advanced Technology

GTC Brings Excitement to the Quiet Streets of San Jose
Passionate Learning Atmosphere from Early Morning
High Expectations for Cutting-Edge Technologies like GPU, Robotics, and AI
A Global Gathering of Companies, Public Institutions, and Developers

The downtown area of San Jose, California, USA, is awash with waves of green. On the morning of the 17th (local time), thousands of participants flocked to NVIDIA's annual developer event, GTC 2025. In front of the San Jose Convention Center, a long line for registration stretched down the alley. The venue was bustling all day with a diverse mix of corporate representatives, developers, journalists, and people from various nationalities and professions.

People wearing green badges around their necks and holding smartphones could not hide their excitement and anticipation. The streets were lively with attendees wearing hats, T-shirts, and backpacks emblazoned with the green logo. Even the outdoor cafes in front of the venue were hard to find empty seats. The entire downtown San Jose, waving green flags, was buzzing with the festive atmosphere of NVIDIA's celebration.

At 9 a.m. local time on the 17th, the entrance of the San Jose Convention Center in the United States. Photo by Junyi Park

On the 17th (local time), promotional materials for GTC 2025 were posted at various locations on the way to the San Jose Convention Center in the United States. Photo by Junyi Park

Inside the venue, there were noticeable spaces where participants gathered to engage in technical discussions. At the "Connect with Experts" area, conversations between experts and participants were heated from early morning. Discussions on future technologies such as robot learning tools and generative artificial intelligence (AI) were ongoing.

Participants spread out in free spaces in the corridors, opening laptops, tablets, and focusing on development work or chatting with other attendees. Some exhibitors showcased various tech products in the hallways.

On this morning, the French robotics startup 'Enchanted Tools' demonstrated their humanoid robot 'Mirokai.' The robot, with cartoon-like facial expressions and wheels that allow smooth movement, roamed the corridors, attracting keen interest from participants.

Florian Nibot, manager at Enchanted Tools, said, "It seems more participants have gathered at GTC than we expected," adding, "This is the best way to showcase our robot to many people."

On the 17th (local time) at the San Jose Convention Center in the United States, the French robot startup 'Enchanted Tools' demonstrated its humanoid robot 'Mirokai.' Photo by Junyi Park

On the 17th (local time), exhibition booths of participating companies are being set up at the San Jose Convention Center in the United States. Photo by Park Joon-yi

After Jensen Huang, NVIDIA's CEO, delivers his keynote speech on the 18th, the exhibition booths of participating companies were still being set up. Booths of leading global tech companies such as Deloitte, Oracle, ASUS, Dell Technologies, and Foxconn, along with the host NVIDIA's presentation booth, were nearing completion.

Notably, booths of Korean companies Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were installed side by side inside the exhibition hall. According to NVIDIA, there are approximately 400 exhibition booths attending this GTC.

From 7 a.m., various presentation sessions were held in session rooms set up at the Convention Center and Marriott Hotel. Attendees lined up waiting to enter each session room. By the afternoon, the entrances to the session rooms were so crowded that there was barely any space to stand. Most lectures required attendees to queue 30 to 40 minutes before the start to secure a seat.

Jung Jong-gyu, director at SOS Lab, who came to attend sessions, said, "Our company is trying to expand into robotics, and I heard there would be exhibitions and lectures related to GPUs, robotics, and AI at GTC, so I decided to attend." He added, "I originally wanted to attend an 8 a.m. session today, so I arrived at 7:40, but there were too many people, and I couldn't get in. I'm worried about what time I need to arrive tomorrow to attend CEO Huang's keynote speech."

On the 17th (local time) at 3 p.m., participants lined up in front of the session room where Park Jeong-su, a researcher at SK Hynix, was presenting on the topic of 'High Bandwidth Memory (HBM).' Photo by Park Jun-i

On the 17th (local time) at 3 PM, Park Jeong-su, a researcher at SK Hynix, is giving a presentation on the topic of 'High Bandwidth Memory (HBM).' Photo by Park Jun-yi

Especially, the session on "High Bandwidth Memory (HBM)" conducted by SK Hynix researcher Park Jung-soo at 3 p.m. was packed with participants eager to attend. About 30 participants lined up in front of the session room door 40 minutes before the session started.

In the session, researcher Park said, "We believe SK Hynix will lead technological and market innovation in HBM, but we are facing new technical challenges," adding, "We need to think of more efficient ways to improve bandwidth." He also revealed that they expect up to a 1.25% performance improvement through the 7th generation HBM4E, scheduled for mass production from the second half of next year. He emphasized the need for a new power distribution network (PDN) design and predicted that 'customized solutions' will become an industry trend in the future.

Many companies, public institutions, and developers from Korea also attended GTC. Kim Ki-byeong, director of the AI Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, who attended with his team, said, "We have meetings scheduled with tech companies including NVIDIA," adding, "We came to the event to explore cooperation with AI companies and to listen to ways to support local businesses."

Many participants expressed high expectations for CEO Huang's keynote speech. Manager Nibot said, "I am most looking forward to CEO Huang's keynote," emphasizing, "The core of this GTC seems to be how AI technology can be applied to robotics, especially physical aid for walking."

On the 17th (local time), participants were freely eating and resting in front of the 'GTC Park' set up in front of the San Jose Marriott Hotel in the United States. Photo by Park Joon-yi