Nvidia-mania took over Europe this week. Here's what I learned from Jensen Huang

Nvidia brag Jensen Huang has been connected a circuit of Europe this week, bringing excitement and intrigue to everyplace helium visited.

His connection was wide — Nvidia is the institution that tin assistance Europe physique its artificial quality infrastructure truthful the portion tin instrumentality power of its ain destiny with the transformative technology.

I've been successful London and Paris this week pursuing Huang astir arsenic helium met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, journalists, fans, analysts and gave a keynote astatine Nvidia's GTC lawsuit successful the superior of France.

Here's the what I saw and the cardinal things I learned.

Huang is genuinely the existent rockstar of the tech world.

At London Tech Week, the lines were agelong and the auditorium packed to perceive him speak.

The GTC lawsuit successful Paris was afloat too. It was similar going to a euphony performance oregon sporting event. There were GTC Paris T-shirts connected the backmost of each seat and adjacent a merchandise store.

The aura of Huang truly struck maine when, aft a question-and-answer league with him and a country afloat of attendees, astir radical lined up to instrumentality pictures oregon selfies with him.

Macron and Starmer some wanted to beryllium seen connected signifier with him.

Nvidia's cardinal merchandise is its graphics processing units (GPU) that are utilized to bid and execute AI applications.

But Huang has positioned Nvidia arsenic much than a spot company. During the week, helium described Nvidia arsenic an infrastructure firm. He besides said AI should beryllium seen arsenic infrastructure similar electricity.

His transportation to each countries was that Nvidia could beryllium the institution that volition assistance countries physique retired that infrastructure.

"We judge that successful bid to compete, successful bid to physique a meaningful ecosystem, Europe needs to travel unneurotic and physique capableness that is joint," Huang said during a code astatine the Viva Tech league successful Paris connected Wednesday.

One of the astir significant partnerships announced this week is betwixt French startup Mistral and Nvidia to physique a alleged AI unreality utilizing the latter's GPUs.

Huang spoke a batch during the week astir "sovereign AI" — the conception of gathering information centers wrong a country's borders that services its colonisation alternatively than relying connected servers located overseas. Among European policymakers and companies, this has been an important topic.

Huang besides heaped praise connected the U.K., France and Europe much broadly erstwhile it came to their imaginable successful the AI industry.

On Thursday, Huang decided to bash a circuit of Nvidia's booth and I managed to drawback him to get a fewer words connected CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe."

A cardinal taxable of that treatment was China. Nvidia has not been capable to merchantability its astir precocious chips to China due to the fact that of U.S. export controls and adjacent little blase semiconductors are being blocked. In its past quarterly results, Nvidia took a $4.5 cardinal deed connected unsold inventory.

I asked Huang astir however China was progressing with AI chips, successful peculiar referencing Huawei, the Chinese tech elephantine that is trying to marque semiconductor products to rival Nvidia.

Huang said Huawei is simply a procreation down Nvidia. But due to the fact that determination is tons of vigor successful China, Huawei tin conscionable usage much chips to get results.

"If the United States doesn't privation to partake, enactment successful China, Huawei has got China covered, and Huawei has got everybody other covered," Huang said.

In addition, Huang is acrophobic astir the strategical value of U.S. companies not having entree to China.

"It's adjacent much important that the American exertion stack is what AI developers astir the satellite physique on," Huang said.

Just speechmaking betwixt the lines somewhat — Huang sees a satellite wherever Chinese AI tech advances. Some countries whitethorn determine to physique their AI infrastructure with Chinese companies alternatively than American. That successful crook could springiness Chinese companies a accidental to beryllium successful the AI race.

Huang often uses nationalist appearances to speech astir the future.

I asked him astir immoderate of those areas he's bullish connected similar robotics and driverless cars, exertion that Nvidia's products tin power.

Huang told maine this volition beryllium the "decade of" autonomous vehicles and robotics.

During his keynote astatine GTC Paris connected Wednesday, helium besides code quantum computing, saying the exertion is reaching "an inflection point."

Quantum computers are wide believed to beryllium capable to lick analyzable problems that classical computers can't. This could see things similar discovering caller drugs oregon materials.