NVIDIA’s Inception programme is supporting over 4,500 European startups working on artificial intelligence (AI) technology. One of these startups, Nobi, pivoted to AI with the help of NVIDIA microchips to develop smart lamps that detect falls in older adults. By redeeming $100,000 worth of NVIDIA credits, Nobi was able to store their AI training on the company’s cloud, freeing up funds for development. Inception offers preferred pricing on NVIDIA products, training credits, and access to exclusive events for startups, giving them a competitive edge in the AI space.
Moon Surgical, another startup in the programme, used NVIDIA technology to build a surgical robotics system, gaining valuable time to refine their algorithms and hardware. NVIDIA eventually invested $55 million in Moon Surgical, showcasing the success of the programme in nurturing AI startups. NVIDIA’s venture capitalist arm, Nventures, now has a board observer at Moon Surgical.
While some experts raise concerns about antitrust issues due to NVIDIA’s significant market share, others argue that as long as startups have the freedom to switch to other technologies, there are no grounds for anticompetitive behavior accusations. Lack of transparency from tech companies, however, makes it challenging for antitrust professionals to determine whether there are any breaches of merger control. The European Commission’s Digital Markets Act could help investigate potential breaches of antitrust laws by AI companies like NVIDIA on a case-by-case basis. NVIDIA has not commented on these allegations, but the Commission is looking into agreements between digital market players and generative AI developers to understand their impact on market dynamics.
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