Foxconn, Nvidia collaborate to build AI data centres

Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn is teaming up with Nvidia to build artificial intelligence data centres using Nvidia's software and chips. These data centres are set to power various applications, including digitalising manufacturing and inspection processes, developing AI-driven electric vehicles and robotics, and delivering language-based generative AI services. 

In a joint effort with Nvidia, Foxconn will create a new class of data centres that will incorporate Nvidia technology. The primary goal is to cater to Foxconn's global customer base, enabling them to establish and operate their AI factories, optimised with Nvidia AI Enterprise software. 

The utilisation of Nvidia's technology in these AI factories will facilitate AI training and inference, streamline factory operations, and allow for virtual simulations before real-world deployment. By simulating the entire robotics and automation pipeline, Foxconn aims to enhance operational efficiency, ultimately saving time and reducing costs. 

"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. 

Nvidia CEO Huang emphasized the emergence of a new form of manufacturing, one that centres on intelligence production. He noted that Foxconn's expertise and scale uniquely position the company to establish AI factories on a global scale. 

Foxconn's AI factory systems will be based on Nvidia HGX reference designs, each featuring eight Nvidia H100 GPUs, Nvidia's GH200 Superchips, and networking capabilities. These systems will enable Foxconn's customers to deploy Nvidia-accelerated computing in their data centres, supporting various AI workloads, including autonomous robots and self-driving cars. 

In addition to manufacturing components for customer AI factories, Foxconn will also create its own AI factory. Leveraging the Nvidia Omniverse platform and Isaac and Metropolis frameworks, this facility will adhere to strict production and quality standards prevalent in the electronics industry. Foxconn's AI factory will focus on training, inference, and running virtual world simulations for next-generation autonomous mobile and industrial robots. 

Nvidia also announced an expansion of their partnership, aiming to develop intelligent electric vehicle (EV) platforms for the global automotive market. This collaboration will help Foxconn realise its EV vision, featuring a range of Nvidia DRIVE solutions. Foxconn will also serve as a contract manufacturer for highly automated and autonomous, AI-rich EVs, including the upcoming Nvidia DRIVE Hyperion 9 platform, incorporating DRIVE Thor and a state-of-the-art sensor architecture.