By Kevin Stankiewicz
Publication Date: 2026-03-13 16:55:00
On the day before Christmas, when few stocks were stirring, a pricey and pivotal transaction jolted the AI computing race: Nvidia was spending a reported $20 billion to license technology from chip startup Groq and hire key employees, including its CEO, who previously helped Google create what’s become the leading alternative to Nvidia’s AI processors. In the months since, Nvidia’s offensive move has arguably flown under the radar, considering its competitive ramifications in the artificial intelligence gold rush. Perhaps it was lost in the Christmastime shuffle, or in the torrent of other deals and investments that have been flowing from the world’s most valuable company over the past year. That should change next week, when Nvidia holds its annual GTC event, called the GPU Technology Conference in its early days, in San Jose, California. The four-day gathering is a big deal in AI. It takes place at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, with Monday’s keynote address from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang held at the nearby SAP Center, where the NHL’s San Jose Sharks play — a venue befitting Jensen’s leather jacket-wearing, rock star-like status. Throughout the week, Nvidia plans to share at least some of its vision for incorporating Groq’s chip technology into its already-dominant AI computing ecosystem. “I’ve got some great ideas that I’d like to share with you at GTC,” Jensen said on the chipmaker’s late February earnings call. Those ideas figure to be among the notable…
