Full Transcript: NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's Commencement Address at National Taiwan University
Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed faculty members, distinguished guests, proud parents, and above all, the 2023 graduating class of the National Taiwan University. Today is a very special day for you, and a dream come true for your parents.
You should be moving out soon. It is surely a day of pride and joy.So, your parents have made sacrifices to see you on this day. My parents are here, and so is my brother. Let's show all of our parents and our grandparents, many of them are here, our appreciation.
I came to NTU for the first time over a decade ago. Dr. Chen invited me to visit his computational physics lab. As I recall, his son, based in Silicon Valley, had learned of NVIDIA's CUDA invention and recommended his father utilize it for his quantum physics simulations.
When I arrived, he opened the door to show me what he had made. NVIDIA GeForce gaming cards filled the room, plugged into open PC motherboards, and sitting on metal shelves in the aisles were oscillating platform fans.
Dr. Chen had built a homemade supercomputer, the Taiwanese Way, out of gaming graphics cards. He started here, an early example of NVIDIA's journey.
He was so proud, and he said to me, Mr. Huang, because of your work, I can do my life's work. Those words touch me to this day, and perfectly capture our company's purpose, to help the Einstein and Da Vinci of our time do their life's work.
I am so happy to be back at NTU, and to be your commencement address. The world was simpler when I graduated from Oregon State University. TVs were not flat yet. There was no cable television, and MTV.
And the words mobile and phone didn't go together. The year was 1984. The IBM PC-AT and Apple Macintosh launched the PC revolution.
And started the chip and software industry that we know today. You enter a far more complex world, with geopolitical, social, and environmental changes and challenges.
Surrounded by technology, we are now perpetually connected, and immersed in a digital world that parallels our real world. Cars are starting to drive by themselves.
AI will create new jobs that didn't exist before
Forty years after the computer industry created the home PC, we invented artificial intelligence. Like software that automatically drives a car, or studies x-ray images, AI software has opened the door for computers to automate tasks for the world's largest, multi-trillion dollars of industries.
Healthcare, financial services, transportation, and manufacturing. AI has opened immense opportunities.
Agile companies will take advantage of AI, and boost their position. Companies less so, will perish. Entrepreneurs, many of them here today, will start new companies.
And like in every computing era before, create new industries. AI will create new jobs that didn't exist before. Like data engineering, prompt engineering, AI factory operations, and AI safety engineers.
These are jobs that never existed before. Automated tasks will obsolete some jobs. And for sure, AI will change every job. Supercharging the performance of programmers, designers, artists, marketers, and manufacturing planners.
Just as every generation before you embraced technologies to succeed, every company, and you, must learn to take advantage of AI. And do amazing things with an AI co-pilot by your side.
While some worry that AI may take their jobs, someone who expert with AI will. We are at the beginning of a major technology era, like PC, internet, mobile, and cloud. But AI is far more fundamental because every computing layer has been reinvented, from how we write software to how it's processed.
AI has reinvented computing from the ground up. In every way, this is a rebirth of the computer industry. And a golden opportunity for the companies of Taiwan.
You are the foundation and bedrock of the computer industry. Within the next decade, our industry will replace over a trillion dollars of the world's traditional computers with new, accelerated AI computers.
The first story of NVIDIA: Confronting mistakes and asking for help
My journey started 40 years before yours. 1984 was a perfect year to graduate. I predict that 2023 will be as well.
What can I tell you as you begin your journey? Today is the most successful day of your life so far. You're graduating from the National Taiwan University. I was also successful until I started NVIDIA.
At NVIDIA, I experienced failures. Great big ones. All humiliating and embarrassing. Many nearly doomed us.
Let me tell you three NVIDIA stories that define us today.
We founded NVIDIA to create accelerated computing. Our first application was 3D graphics for PC gaming.
We invented an unconventional 3D approach called forward texture mapping and curves. Our approach was substantially lower cost. We won a contract with SEGA to build their game console, which attracted games for our platform and funded our company.
After one year of development, we realized our architecture was the wrong strategy. It was technically poor. And Microsoft was about to announce Windows 95 Direct 3D based on inverse texture mapping and triangles.
Many companies were already working on 3D chips to support this standard. If we completed SEGA's game console, we would have built inferior technology, be incompatible with Windows, and be too far behind to catch up.
But we would be out of money if we didn't finish the contract. Either way, we would be out of business. I contacted the CEO of SEGA and explained that our invention was the wrong approach.
That SEGA should find another partner. And that we could not complete the contract and the console. We had to stop. But I needed Sega to pay us in whole. Or NVIDIA would be out of business.
I was embarrassed to ask. Irimajiri-san, the CEO of SEGA, to his credit and my amazement, agreed.
His understanding and generosity gave us six months to live. With that, we built RIVA 128. Just as we were running out of money. RIVA 128 shocked the young 3D market, put us on the map, and saved the company.
The strong demand for our chip led me back to Taiwan after leaving at the age of four to meet Morris Chang at TSMC and started a partnership that has lasted 25 years. Confronting our mistake and with humility asking for help, save NVIDIA.
These traits are the hardest for the brightest and most successful like yourself.
The second story of NVIDIA: Endure pain and suffering needed to realize your dreams
In 2007, we announced CUDA GPU Accelerated Computing. Our aspiration was for CUDA to become a programming model that boosts applications from scientific computing and physics simulations to image processing. Creating a new computing model is incredibly hard and rarely done in history.
The CPU computing model has been the standard for 60 years since the IBM System 360. CUDA needed developers to write applications and demonstrate the benefits of the GPU.
Developers needed a large installed base. A large CUDA installed base needed customers buying new applications. To solve the chicken or the egg problem, we used GeForce, our gaming GPU, which already had a large market of gamers, to build the installed base.
But the added cost of CUDA was very high. NVIDIA's profits took a huge hit for many years. Our market cap hovered just above $1 billion.
We suffered many years of poor performance. Our shareholders were skeptical of CUDA. And preferred we focused on improving profitability. But we persevered.
We believed a time for accelerated computing would come. We created a conference called GTC and promoted CUDA tirelessly worldwide. Then the applications came.
Seismic processing, CT reconstruction, molecular dynamics, particle physics, fluid dynamics, and image processing. One science domain after another, they came.
We worked with each developer to write their algorithms and achieved incredible speedups. Then, in 2012, AI researchers discovered CUDA.
The famous AlexNet trained on GeForce GTX 580 started the Big Bang of AI. Fortunately, we realized the potential of deep learning as a whole new software approach. And turned every aspect of our company to advance this new field.
We risked everything to pursue deep learning. A decade later, the AI revolution started. And NVIDIA is the engine of AI developers worldwide.
We invented CUDA and pioneered accelerated computing and AI. But the journey forged our corporate character to endure the pain and suffering that is always needed to realize a vision.
The third story of NVIDIA: Strategic retreat
One more story. In 2010, Google aimed to develop Android into a mobile computer with excellent graphics.
The phone industry had chip companies with modem expertise. NVIDIA's computing and graphics expertise made us an ideal partner to help build Android. So we entered the mobile chip market.
We were instantly successful. And our business and stock price surged. The competition quickly swarmed. Modem chip makers were learning how to build computing chips. And we were learning how to build modems.
The phone market is huge. We could fight for share. Instead, we made a hard decision and sacrificed the market.
NVIDIA's mission is to build computers to solve problems that ordinary computers cannot. We should dedicate ourselves to realizing our vision and to making a unique contribution.
Our strategic retreat paid off. By leaving the phone market, we opened our minds to invent a new one. We imagined creating a new type of computer for robotic computers. With neural network processor, safety architectures that run AI algorithms.
At the time, this was a zero billion dollar market. To retreat from a giant phone market to create a zero billion dollar robotics market. We now have billions of dollars of automotive and robotics business and started a new industry. Retreat does not come easily to the brightest and most successful people like yourself.
Yet, strategic retreat, sacrifice, deciding what to give up, is that a core, the very core of success?
Class of 2023, you're about to go into a world witnessing great change. And just as I was with the PC and chip revolution, you're at the beginning, at the starting line of AI. Every industry will be revolutionized. Reborn.
Ready for new ideas. Your ideas. In 40 years, we created the PC, internet, mobile, cloud, and now the AI era.
What will you create? Whatever it is, run after it like we did. Run. Don't walk. Remember, either you're running for food, or you are running from being food.
I hope that part can be translated into Chinese so that everyone can understand.
Either you're running for food, or you are running from becoming food.
And oftentimes, you can't tell which. Either way, run. And for your journey, take along some of my learnings. That you will have the humility to confront failure, admit a mistake, and ask for help.
You will endure pain and suffering needed to realize your dreams. And you will make sacrifices to dedicate yourself to a life of purpose and doing your life's work.
Class of 2023, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each one of you. Jiayou!
中文版全文：NVIDIA CEO黃仁勳在國立臺灣大學畢業典禮上的演講 (by chatGPT)
女士們、先生們、尊敬的教職員工、尊貴的嘉賓、驕傲的父母，以及最重要的，國立臺灣大學2023屆畢業生們。今天對你們來說是一個非常特別的日子，也是你們父母的夢想成真的一天。
你們應該很快就要離開了。這肯定是一個充滿自豪和喜悅的日子。所以，你們的父母為了能看到你們取得這一天，付出了很多犧牲。我的父母在這裡，我的兄弟也在這裡。讓我們向所有的父母和祖父母表達我們的感激之情。
我十多年前第一次來到臺大。陳教授邀請我參觀他的計算物理實驗室。據我記得，他的兒子在矽谷工作，了解到了NVIDIA的CUDA發明，並建議他的父親在量子物理模擬中使用它。
當我到達時，他打開門給我看他做的東西。NVIDIA GeForce遊戲顯卡佔滿了整個房間，插入開放式的PC主機板，走廊的金屬架子上擺放著搖擺的風扇。
陳教授用遊戲顯卡自己組建了一個自製超級計算機，這是臺灣的方式，他從這裡開始，這是NVIDIA早期旅程的一個例子。 他非常自豪地對我說，黃先生，因為有了你的工作，我才能夠做出我的一生工作。這些話至今讓我感動，也完美地捕捉到了我們公司的宗旨，即幫助我們這個時代的愛因斯坦和達·芬奇完成他們的一生工作。
能夠回到臺大並成為你們的畢業典禮演講者，我感到非常高興。當我從俄勒岡州立大學畢業時，世界還比較簡單。電視還不是平板的，還沒有有線電視和MTV。
而“行動”和“電話”這兩個詞也不是結合在一起的。那是1984年。IBM PC-AT和蘋果麥金塔推動了個人電腦革命。
並開啟了我們今天所熟知的晶片和軟體產業。而你們進入的是一個更加複雜的世界，面臨著地緣政治、社會和環境的變化和挑戰。
被科技包圍，我們現在是永久性地連接在一起，沉浸在一個與現實世界相平行的數字世界中。汽車正開始自動駕駛。
人工智能將創造出以前不存在的新工作
在電腦產業創造家用個人電腦四十年後，我們發明了人工智能。像是自動駕駛車輛的軟體，或者研究X光影像的軟體，AI軟體打開了電腦自動化世界上最大、價值數萬億美元的行業的大門。
醫療保健、金融服務、運輸和製造業。AI開啟了巨大的機遇。
敏捷的公司將利用AI，提升自己的地位。而不太具備這方面能力的公司將消亡。許多今天在場的創業家將創辦新的公司。
就像以往的每一個計算時代一樣，創造新的產業。AI將創造以前不存在的新工作，如數據工程師、快速開發工程師、AI工廠運營和AI安全工程師。
這些是以前從未存在的工作。自動化任務將使某些工作變得過時。當然，AI將改變每一份工作。使程式設計師、設計師、藝術家、市場營銷人員和製造計劃人員的表現提升。
就像你們之前的每一代人都擁抱技術以取得成功一樣，每一家公司和你們都必須學會利用AI的優勢。並在AI共同飛行員的幫助下做出驚人的事情。
雖然有些人擔心AI可能會拿走他們的工作，但實際上，熟練掌握AI的人才將會取而代之。我們正處於一個重大技術時代的開始，就像個人電腦、互聯網、移動設備和雲計算一樣。但AI更為基礎，因為每一個計算層面都得到了重新塑造，從我們編寫軟體的方式到其處理方式。
AI從根本上重新塑造了計算。從各個方面來看，這是電腦產業的重生。對台灣公司來說，這是一個黃金機會。
你們是電腦產業的基石。在未來十年內，我們的行業將用新的加速AI電腦取代價值超過一萬億美元的傳統電腦。
關於 NVIDIA 的第一個故事：面對錯誤並尋求幫助
我的旅程比你們早40年。1984年是一個完美的畢業年份。我預測2023年也將如此。
當你們開始自己的旅程時，我能告訴你們什麼呢？今天是迄今為止你們生命中最成功的一天。你們畢業於國立台灣大學。我也曾經很成功，直到我開始了NVIDIA。
在NVIDIA，我經歷了失敗。非常巨大的失敗。所有這些都讓人羞愧和尷尬。許多次，幾乎讓我們陷入絕境。
讓我告訴你們三個關於NVIDIA的故事，這些故事塑造了我們今天的樣貌。
我們創辦NVIDIA是為了創造加速計算。我們的第一個應用是為個人電腦遊戲開發的3D圖形。
我們發明了一種非傳統的3D方法，稱為正向紋理映射和曲線。我們的方法成本大大降低。我們贏得了SEGA的合同，為他們建造遊戲主機，這吸引了遊戲開發商為我們的平台開發遊戲，也為我們的公司提供了資金。
經過一年的開發，我們意識到我們的架構是錯誤的策略。它在技術上很差。微軟即將推出基於反向紋理映射和三角形的Windows 95 Direct 3D。
許多公司已經在開發支援這一標準的3D晶片。如果我們完成了SEGA的遊戲主機，我們將建造出劣質的技術，不與Windows兼容，並且太遠落後以至於無法追趕上來。
但如果我們不完成合同，我們就會沒有資金。無論如何，我們都會破產。我聯繫了SEGA的CEO，解釋我們的發明是錯誤的方法。
他們應該找另一個合作夥伴。我們無法完成合同和遊戲主機。我們必須停下來。但我需要SEGA支付我們全部的款項，否則NVIDIA就會破產。
我對此感到尷尬，但入交昭一郎（Irimajiri-san）作為SEGA的CEO，出乎我的驚訝，同意了。
他的理解和慷慨給了我們六個月的生存時間。有了這個機會，我們開發了RIVA 128。就在我們快沒有錢的時候。RIVA 128震驚了年輕的3D市場，讓我們聲名大噪，拯救了公司。
我們對晶片的強烈需求讓我回到台灣，在四歲離開後再次與張忠謀在台積電見面，開始了一段持續了25年的合作關係。
面對我們的錯誤，謙卑地尋求幫助，拯救了NVIDIA。這兩項特質對於像你們一樣最聰明和最成功的人來說是最難的。
我們的第二個故事：忍受痛苦和辛苦，實現夢想
在2007年，我們宣布了CUDA GPU加速計算。我們的願景是將CUDA成為一個可以提升科學計算、物理模擬和圖像處理等應用的編程模型。創建一個新的計算模型非常困難，歷史上很少有人做到。
自IBM System 360以來，CPU計算模型已成為標準已有60年之久。CUDA需要開發人員撰寫應用程序並展示GPU的優勢。
開發人員需要一個龐大的安裝基礎。而要擁有大規模的CUDA安裝基礎，就需要有客戶購買新應用程序。為了解決這個雞生蛋還是蛋生雞的問題，我們使用了已經有大量遊戲玩家市場的遊戲GPU GeForce來建立這個安裝基礎。
但CUDA的額外成本非常高。NVIDIA的利潤在多年中受到巨大的打擊。我們的市值僅略高於10億美元。 我們經歷了多年的低迷表現。我們的股東對CUDA持懷疑態度，並希望我們專注於提高盈利能力。但我們堅持下來了。
我們相信加速計算的時代會到來。我們創辦了一個名為GTC的會議，不知疲倦地在全球宣傳CUDA。然後，應用程序開始出現。
地震處理、CT重建、分子動力學、粒子物理學、流體動力學和圖像處理。一個又一個科學領域開始使用CUDA。
我們與每個開發人員合作，幫助他們編寫算法，實現了令人難以置信的加速。然後，在2012年，AI研究人員發現了CUDA。
著名的AlexNet在GeForce GTX 580上進行訓練，引爆了AI的大爆炸。幸運的是，我們意識到深度學習作為一種全新的軟件方法的潛力。並將我們公司的每一個方面都投入到推進這個新領域中。
我們冒著一切去追求深度學習。十年後，AI革命開始了。NVIDIA成為全球AI開發者的引擎。
我們發明了CUDA，開創了加速計算和AI的先河。但這個過程塑造了我們的企業品格，使我們能夠忍受實現願景所需的痛苦和辛苦。
我們的第三個故事：戰略撤退
再來一個故事。在2010年，Google的目標是將Android打造成具有出色圖形的移動計算機。
手機行業中已經有專門數據機的晶片公司。NVIDIA的計算和圖形專長使我們成為幫助建立Android的理想合作夥伴。因此，我們進入了移動晶片市場。
我們立即取得了成功。我們的業務和股價飆升。競爭迅速湧入。數據機製造商正在學習如何製造計算晶片，而我們正在學習如何製造數據機。
手機市場龐大。我們本可以爭奪市場份額。但我們做出了艱難的決定，犧牲了這個市場。
NVIDIA的使命是打造能夠解決普通計算機無法解決的問題的計算機。我們應該致力於實現我們的願景，並做出獨特的貢獻。
我們的戰略撤退收到了回報。通過離開手機市場，我們打開了創造一個新市場的思路。我們想象創造一種新型的機器人計算機，搭載神經網絡處理器和運行AI算法的安全架構。
當時，這是一個市值為零的市場。放棄巨大的手機市場，去創造一個市值為零的機器人市場。現在，我們已經擁有數十億美元的汽車和機器人業務，並開創了一個新的行業。對於像你們這樣最聰明、最成功的人來說，撤退並不容易。
然而，戰略撤退、犧牲，決定放棄什麼，這是成功的核心，正是成功的核心。
2023屆的同學們，你們即將進入一個正在經歷巨大變革的世界。就像我在個人電腦和芯片革命之初一樣，你們正處於AI的起點，站在起跑線上。每個行業都將被革命化，重生。
準備好接受新思想。你們的思想。在過去的40年裡，我們創造了個人電腦、互聯網、移動設備、雲端，現在是AI時代。
你們將創造什麼？不管是什麼，像我們一樣去追逐。奔跑吧，別磨蹭。請記住，不論是為了覓食，還是為了逃避成為食物，你都應該奔跑。
我希望這部分能被翻譯成中文，讓每個人都能理解。
不論是為了覓食，還是為了逃避成為食物。
而且往往你無法分辨哪一種情況。不管怎樣，奔跑吧。在你的旅程中，帶上一些我的經驗教訓吧。要有謙卑的態度去面對失敗，承認錯誤，並尋求幫助。
你將忍受痛苦和辛苦，以實現你的夢想。你將做出犧牲，致力於一生的目標，去做你人生的事業。
對於2023屆的同學們，我衷心祝賀你們每一個人。加油！
