Oracle co-founder and chief technology officer Larry Ellison has revealed the secret to securing more Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs), which are crucial for advancing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. During a meeting with analysts last week, Ellison shared that he and Elon Musk took Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang out to dinner at Nobu Palo Alto and “begged” him to give them more GPUs.
The outcome was a positive one, according to Ellison. He recalled the dinner as an Oracle-style begging session, where he and Musk pleaded with Huang to take their money and provide more GPUs. The result? It “went ok. I mean, it worked.”
Ellison, who has a net worth of $206 billion, is a prominent figure in the tech industry and serves as executive chairman of enterprise software firm Oracle. He has a track record of anticipating significant technological shifts, including positioning Oracle to reap the benefits of the internet’s early days.
Oracle is making significant investments in GPU technology, particularly for AI applications. The company announced its first-quarter results for fiscal 2025, revealing revenues were up 7% to $13.3 billion and profits were $2.9 billion. Oracle also disclosed that it has 162 cloud datacenters in operation or under construction around the world and plans to house “acres of Nvidia GPU clusters” in one of its largest datacenters.
Tesla, where Musk serves as CEO, relies on Nvidia GPUs to power the supercomputers that train its neural networks for self-driving and assisted driving technology. According to Ellison, being the first to build the most capable neural network in the world is a big deal, given the desire to be at the forefront of AI innovation.
Many executives in AI are willing to “beg” Huang for GPUs and build datacenters to stay ahead of the curve. As Ellison noted, building the most advanced AI systems will cost around $100 billion over the next three years – an investment that only a few companies and countries can afford.
Source: https://fortune.com/2024/09/16/larry-ellison-elon-musk-begged-nvidias-jensen-huang-more-gpus-fancy-sushi-dinner/