Commencement Speech at Caltech 2024

Ladies and gentlemen, President Rosenbaum, esteemed faculty members, distinguished guests, proud parents, and above all, the 2024 graduating class of Caltech. This is a really happy day for you all. You are graduating from Caltech, the school of greats like Richard Feynman, Linus Pauling, and Carver Mead. Today is a day of immense pride and joy, not just for you but also for your families who made countless sacrifices to see you reach this milestone. Congratulate them, thank them, and let them know you love them.

Your journey here is a testament to your character, determination, and willingness to make sacrifices for your dreams. You should be proud. The ability to make sacrifices, endure pain and suffering, is essential in life.

NVIDIA's chief scientists were from Caltech, and I'm here partly because I'm recruiting. NVIDIA is a great company, and I'm a very nice boss. We share a passion for science and engineering.

The computer industry is transforming from its foundations. Modern computing traces back to the IBM System 360, and the basic ideas of its architecture still govern the computer industry today. The limits of transistor scaling have slowed CPU performance, but NVIDIA's accelerated computing offers a path forward. By offloading time-consuming algorithms to a GPU, we achieve significant speedups, saving money, cost, and energy. Accelerated computing has reached a tipping point.

Deep learning marked the beginning of the AI revolution. Our decisions transformed NVIDIA from a graphics company to an AI company. We invested billions into the unknown, and in 2016, we announced DGX-1, our first AI supercomputer. In 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, and AI went mainstream.

The next wave of AI is robotics. Our journey in robotics resulted from a series of setbacks. We developed agility and a culture of resilience. The world is uncertain and can be unfair. Shake it off and find new opportunities.

Graduates, you are well-prepared for the future. Dedicate yourself to something unconventional and reasoned. See setbacks as new opportunities. Prioritize your life, and you will have plenty of time to do the important things. Congratulations, class of 2024, go get them.

The original article: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc48ToLIQAY&feature=youtu.be