Foxconn will build AI factories with Nvidia chips, software

Taipei, Oct 18 (IANS) Graphics giant Nvidia has announced a collaboration with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) to accelerate the AI industrial revolution with the creation of AI factories.

Foxconn will integrate Nvidia technology to develop a new class of data centers powering a wide range of applications — including digitalisation of manufacturing and inspection workflows, development of AI-powered electric vehicle and robotics platforms, and a growing number of language-based generative AI services.

“Most importantly, Nvidia and Foxconn are building these factories together. We will be helping the whole industry move much faster into the new AI era,” said Foxconn Chairman and CEO, Young Liu.

Huang said that a new type of manufacturing has emerged — the production of intelligence. 

“And the data centres that produce it are AI factories. Foxconn, the world’s largest manufacturer, has the expertise and scale to build AI factories globally. We are delighted to expand our decade-long partnership with Foxconn to accelerate the AI industrial revolution,” he added at the fourth annual Hon Hai Tech Day in Taiwan.

Working closely with Nvidia, Foxconn is expected to build a large number of systems based on Nvidia CPUs, GPUs and networking for its global customer base, which is looking to create and operate their own AI factories, optimised with Nvidia AI Enterprise software.

An AI factory with these Nvidia platforms can give Foxconn the ability to accomplish AI training and inference, enhance factory workflows and run simulations in the virtual world before deployment in the physical world. 

Simulating the entire robotics and automation pipeline from end to end provides Foxconn with a path to operational efficiency gains, saving time and costs.

Huang joined Liu to also unveil the latest in their ongoing partnership to develop the next wave of intelligent electric vehicle (EV) platforms for the global automotive market.

This latest move will help Foxconn realise its EV vision with a range of Nvidia DRIVE solutions.

In addition, Foxconn will be a contract manufacturer of highly automated and autonomous, AI-rich EVs featuring the upcoming Nvidia DRIVE Hyperion 9 platform, which includes DRIVE Thor and a state-of-the-art sensor architecture.