Nvidia at CES 2025: A Leap Forward in Gaming, AI, and Robotics
Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, unveiled a series of groundbreaking advancements at CES 2025, spanning the realms of gaming, artificial intelligence, and robotics. The announcements highlighted Nvidia’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of performance and innovation, setting the stage for transformative experiences across various technological domains.
The star of the gaming announcements was the GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs, built upon the new Blackwell architecture. The flagship RTX 5090 boasts double the performance of its predecessor, the RTX 4090, and the entire lineup benefits from significant performance boosts thanks to features like 92 billion transistors, 4 petaflops of AI performance, and a staggering 1.8 terabytes per second of memory bandwidth. Notably, the RTX 50 series allows for the intermixing of AI and graphics workloads, with programmable shaders capable of processing neural networks. This integration allows for advancements like neural texture compression and neural material shading, resulting in visually stunning graphics at unprecedented speeds. The RTX 5070, remarkably, delivers RTX 4090-level performance at a price point of $549, setting a new benchmark for price-to-performance. These GPUs are also making their way into laptops, with the RTX 5070 laptop offering RTX 4090 desktop performance in a portable form factor.
Beyond gaming, Nvidia showcased its advancements in AI with the Blackwell-based supercomputer. This colossal system comprises 72 Blackwell GPUs, boasting a combined AI performance of 1.4 exaflops, exceeding the performance of some of the world’s largest supercomputers. With 14 terabytes of memory and an astounding 1.2 petabytes per second of memory bandwidth, this supercomputer represents a monumental leap in processing power, capable of handling massive datasets and complex AI workloads.
Further solidifying its AI prowess, Nvidia introduced the Llama Nemotron suite of open models. These models range from small, fast-response versions to ultra-large models capable of complex tasks like knowledge distillation and reward model evaluation. These models, coupled with Nvidia’s Cosmos platform, offer developers powerful tools for building and deploying AI applications. Cosmos, trained on 20 million hours of video, focuses on understanding the physical world, enabling applications like synthetic data generation, robotics training, and enhanced video captioning. Nvidia’s open licensing of Cosmos further democratizes access to this groundbreaking technology.
In the automotive sector, Nvidia announced Thor, its next-generation processor for autonomous vehicles. This powerful chip provides 20 times the processing power of its predecessor, Orin, handling the massive influx of sensor data required for autonomous driving. Thor’s capabilities extend beyond vehicles, serving as a universal robotics computer applicable to a wide range of robotic applications, heralding the arrival of more sophisticated and capable robots.
Addressing the future of robotics, Huang emphasized the importance of general-purpose robots that can adapt to existing environments. He highlighted three key areas: agentic robots for information work, self-driving cars, and humanoid robots. The convergence of advancements in AI, computing, and robotics positions these applications for rapid development, potentially transforming industries and reshaping the technological landscape.
Finally, Nvidia revealed Project Digits, a compact AI supercomputer powered by the GB 110, a specialized version of the Grace Blackwell chip developed in collaboration with MediaTek. This accessible supercomputer provides users with the power of Nvidia’s AI stack in a workstation-like format, further democratizing access to high-performance computing and accelerating the development of cutting-edge AI applications. Expected to be available around May, Project Digits represents another step forward in making AI accessible to a wider audience.
Nvidia’s announcements at CES 2025 demonstrate its multifaceted approach to innovation. From gaming to AI to robotics, the company continues to push the envelope, delivering advancements that promise to reshape the technological landscape and usher in new possibilities across various industries. The emphasis on performance, accessibility, and open licensing underscores Nvidia’s commitment to driving forward the next generation of computing and empowering developers and users alike.
The advancements presented by Nvidia at CES 2025 are not mere incremental updates; they represent fundamental shifts in capability and potential. The RTX 50 series sets new standards for gaming performance, leveraging AI to enhance visuals and accelerate rendering. The Blackwell-based supercomputer opens doors for groundbreaking research and development in AI, while Cosmos and the Llama Nemotron models empower developers with the tools to create innovative AI applications. Thor promises to revolutionize autonomous driving and robotics, paving the way for a future where intelligent machines play an increasingly integral role in our lives.
The underlying theme connecting these advancements is Nvidia’s focus on building a comprehensive ecosystem, from hardware to software to platforms. This integrated approach allows for optimizations and synergies across different domains, accelerating the pace of innovation and maximizing the impact of each individual advancement. The open licensing of Cosmos further reinforces this ecosystem approach, fostering collaboration and empowering a wider community of developers to contribute to the growth and evolution of AI technology.
Nvidia’s vision extends beyond simply improving existing technologies; it encompasses a transformation of the way we interact with and utilize technology. The push toward general-purpose robotics, for instance, signifies a shift from specialized robots designed for specific tasks to more adaptable and versatile robots capable of operating within the human world. This shift has the potential to revolutionize industries ranging from manufacturing and logistics to healthcare and personal assistance. Similarly, the accessibility of AI supercomputing through projects like Digital puts the power of cutting-edge AI within reach of a broader audience, democratizing access to transformative technologies and unlocking新たな avenues for innovation and discovery.
The implications of these advancements are far-reaching, impacting not only the technological landscape but also the broader societal landscape. As AI becomes more pervasive and robots become more capable, we can expect to see transformative changes in the way we work, live, and interact with the world around us. The advancements presented by Nvidia at CES 2025 represent not just a glimpse into the future of technology, but a blueprint for a future shaped by the power of accelerated computing, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
The key takeaways from Nvidia’s CES 2025 presentation are clear: performance, accessibility, and a focus on building a robust ecosystem. The company is not just pushing the boundaries of what’s technically possible, but also working to make these advancements accessible to a wider audience, empowering developers and users alike to harness the power of these transformative technologies. This approach positions Nvidia not just as a leader in technology, but as a driving force behind the next wave of technological innovation and advancement.
From the gaming enthusiast to the AI researcher to the robotics engineer, Nvidia’s announcements at CES 2025 hold something for everyone, showcasing a company at the forefront of technological innovation. The integration of AI across various platforms and applications underscores its transformative potential, while the focus on accessibility ensures that these advancements will reach a wider audience, democratizing access to cutting-edge technology and driving forward the next generation of computing, AI, and robotics.
