Nvidia CEO Says AI Now Essential for Graphics

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has stated that artificial intelligence has become indispensable to modern computer graphics, signaling a major shift in how visual technologies are built. Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology conference on September 11, Huang explained that AI is now integrated into the very foundation of graphical computing.

“We can’t do computer graphics anymore without artificial intelligence,” Huang said (via Seeking Alpha), noting that Nvidia uses AI to compute a small part of the image and infer the rest. “We compute one pixel, we infer the other 32… it looks photorealistic, and the image quality is incredible, the performance is incredible.”

AI has been criticized for its energy consumption, but Huang argued that using it for graphics can reduce energy use. “Computing one pixel takes a lot of energy… inferencing the other 32 takes very little energy, and you can do it incredibly fast.” Huang added there are “productivity gains” from using these methods to generate code, and the capacity for that is “just incredible.”

Relatedly, Huang also emphasized AI’s role in software development, particularly with code generation. “There’s not one software engineer in our company today who doesn’t use code generators,” he said, predicting that AI-driven “digital engineers” would become standard across industries.

Nvidia’s AI-based DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) boosts performance by generating extra frames. Sony is employing similar AI techniques with its PS5 Pro’s PSSR upscaling.

Huang concluded by outlining Nvidia’s broader AI applications, including autonomous vehicles, robotics, and digital biology. AI, he said, is transforming fields like drug discovery with computer-aided tools.

Nvidia’s AI innovations are part of a growing and already-here trend, with a Unity report showing that 62% of game development studios now use AI, primarily in animation.