On August 27, AI server giant Supermicro was accused of accounting violations, inadequate disclosure of related party transactions, and evading sanctions by selling products to Russia by short-seller Hindenburg Research.

In addition, Supermicro announced on August 28 that it would delay the release of its annual report, potentially facing order withdrawals. Industry sources also believe this news presents a chance for Supermicro’s competitor Dell to gain market share.

Besides Dell, a report from Commercial Times also points out that Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) could benefit from the shift in orders, potentially boosting shipments for its Taiwanese supply chain partners such as Wistron, Inventec, Quanta, and Foxconn.

The report from Commercial Times also cite sources, suggesting that this shift could provide Gigabyte, which is actively promoting its liquid-cooled products for NVIDIA’s H200 series, with  opportunities in the second half of the year.

Wistron, as a key supplier of motherboard and GPU accelerator cards for NVIDIA’s Hopper and Blackwell GPU, is not only a major supplier for Supermicro’s server motherboards but also for Dell. Its clients include HPE and Lenovo as well, which makes the company one of the primary beneficiaries.

Similarly, Inventec, one of the server motherboard suppliers, is also expected to benefit if the shift in orders boosts Dell, HPE, and Lenovo.

Moreover, one of Supermicro’s largest clients, CoreWeave, is transitioning to become a cloud computing service provider specializing in GPU-accelerated computing.

This shift has increased demand for GPU-accelerated computing and liquid cooling solutions. Reportedly, it’s believed that Gigabyte, which holds orders from CoreWeave, could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the upcoming order shift.

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• [News] Supermicro Faces Order Withdrawal Crisis, Potentially Benefiting Dell
• [News] Quick Couplings’ Buying Surge Reportedly Leads to AI Server Component Shortage Brought up by Supermicro

(Photo credit: Supermicro)

During NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote speech on June 2, he shared insights on how the AI era is driving the development of a new global industrial revolution.

According to a report from TechNews, he covered various technologies and application areas, including advancements in accelerated computing, microservices, industrial digitalization, and consumer devices, which are expected to become key focus areas in the evolving AI market.

• Accelerated Computing

1. Collaboration between the computer industry and NVIDIA to build AI factories and data centers: NVIDIA and leading computer manufacturers worldwide announced today the launch of a series of systems based on the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture. These systems feature Grace CPUs, NVIDIA networking technologies, and infrastructures to assist enterprises in establishing AI factories and data centers.

2. Foxconn utilizes NVIDIA artificial intelligence and Omniverse technology to train robots and streamline assembly operations: Foxconn operates over 170 plants worldwide, with its latest being a virtual plant driving the latest developments in industrial automation technology.

The latest of Foxconn’s plant is a digital twin model of a new factory in Guadalajara, Mexico, a hub for the electronics industry. Engineers at Foxconn define processes and train robots in this virtual environment to enable physical factories to efficiently produce the next generation of accelerated computing engines, the NVIDIA Blackwell HGX system.

3. NVIDIA significantly strengthens Ethernet networks for generative artificial intelligence: NVIDIA announced widespread adoption of the NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet platform and will accelerate the release of new products. CoreWeave, GMO Internet Group, Lambda, Scaleway, STPX Global, and Yotta are the first batch of AI cloud service providers to adopt NVIDIA Spectrum-X, bringing ultimate network performance to their AI infrastructure.

Additionally, NVIDIA’s partners have also released products utilizing the Spectrum platform, including ASRock Rack, ASUS, GIGABYTE Technology, Ingrasys Inc., Inventec, Quanta Cloud Technology, Wistron and Wiwynn. Moreover, Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lenovo, and Super Micro Computer have collaborated with NVIDIA to incorporate the Spectrum platform into their respective products.

• Microservices

NVIDIA NIM has revolutionized deployment model: NVIDIA has announced that its inference microservice, NVIDIA NIM, optimized in container form, is now available for download by 28 million developers worldwide.

This allows deployment to cloud, data centers, or workstations, enabling developers to effortlessly build generative artificial intelligence applications for assisting partners, such as copilots and chatbots, within minutes, a process that previously took several weeks.

• Industrial Digitalization

1. Electronics manufacturers adopt NVIDIA AI and Omniverse to drive robotic factories and accelerate industrial digitization: NVIDIA announced that major Taiwanese electronics manufacturers, including Delta Electronics, Foxconn, Pegatron Corporation, and Wistron Corporation, are using NVIDIA’s technology to transform their factories into more autonomous production facilities through new reference workflows.

This workflow combines NVIDIA Metropolis visual artificial intelligence (AI) technology, NVIDIA Omniverse’ physically accurate rendering and simulation technology, and NVIDIA Isaac’s AI robot development and deployment technology.

2. Industry leaders adopt NVIDIA’s robotic technology to develop tens of millions of AI-supported autonomous machines, including BYD Electronics, Siemens, Teradyne Robotics, and Alphabet’s Intrinsic, among more than ten global leading companies in the robotics industry.

These companies integrate NVIDIA Isaac acceleration libraries, physically principled simulation content, and AI models into their software frameworks and robot models to enhance efficiency in factories, warehouses, and distribution centers. This enables human colleagues to work in safer environments and serves as intelligent assistants in executing repetitive or ultra-precise tasks.

3. NVIDIA introduces NVIDIA IGX with Holoscan support, enabling enterprise software to run medical, industrial, and scientific artificial intelligence applications in real-time at the edge: To meet the growing demand for real-time artificial intelligence computing technology at the industrial edge, NVIDIA announces the comprehensive launch of NVIDIA AI Enterprise-IGX software with Holoscan on the NVIDIA IGX platform.

• Consumer Devices

1. NVIDIA utilizes GeForce RTX AI PC to deliver the real AI assistant experience: NVIDIA announces the launch of the new NVIDIA RTX technology, designed to support AI assistants and digital human platforms running on new GeForce RTX AI laptops.

2. NVIDIA introduces Digital Human Microservices to lay the foundation for future generative AI digital avatars: NVIDIA announces the comprehensive rollout of NVIDIA ACE generative artificial intelligence microservices to accelerate the development of the next wave of digital humans and numerous breakthroughs in generative AI soon to be introduced on the platform.

Companies in customer service, gaming, and healthcare sectors are among the first to adopt ACE technology, making it easier to create, personalize, and interact with realistic digital humans. These microservices have broad applications in customer service, telehealth, gaming, and entertainment.

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• [News] NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang Announces the Latest Rubin Architecture – Rubin Ultra GPU to Feature 12 HBM4
• [News] Dell Leak Reveals NVIDIA’s Potential B200 Launch Next Year

(Photo credit: NVIDIA)

Astera Labs, a leading provider of AI server connectivity solutions, has announced that it will gather Taiwanese manufacturers to establish its first Cloud-Scale Interop Lab outside of Silicon Valley in Taiwan. According to a report from Commercial Times, the company will closely collaborate with major Taiwanese ODM clients, while key manufacturers such as Quanta, Inventec, Wistron, Wiwynn, and Foxconn are expected to benefit from this initiative.

The emerging AI company Astera Labs has surpassed a market value of USD 10 billion and is renowned for providing high-speed transmission interface solutions for AI servers. Founded in 2017, the company celebrated its new public listing on NASDAQ this March.

Per a report from Business Today, the company, headquartered in California, USA, specializes in Retimer chips used for transmission in cloud data centers. These chips mitigate electronic signal attenuation issues, making them widely adopted in the market following PCIe Gen 5.

In response to the rapid expansion of the AI server market, Astera Labs is following in NVIDIA’s footsteps by establishing an R&D center, the Cloud-Scale Interop Lab, in Taiwan.

• • [COMPUTEX 2024] The Rise of Generative AI Sparks Innovation across Industries, with Taiwan-based Companies Leading as Essential Partners in the Global Supply Chain

(Photo credit: Astera Labs)

Following NVIDIA’s launch of the new computing platform GB200, as per a report from Commerical Times, Taiwanese supply chain players including Quanta, Pegatron, Wiwynn, Wistron, Gigabyte, and Foxconn’s subsidiary Ingrasys have showcased their solutions and related cooling technologies based on the GB200 at the latest GTC conference, aiming to capture opportunities in the next-generation AI server market.

Quanta Cloud Technology (QCT), a subsidiary of Quanta Computer, demonstrated its systems and AI applications based on the NVIDIA MGX architecture, announcing support for the upcoming NVIDIA GB200 superchip and NVIDIA GB200 NVL72.

QCT showcased their NVIDIA MGX architecture systems, featuring the NVIDIA GH200 chip, employing a modular reference design. System manufacturers can utilize the NVIDIA MGX architecture to tailor models suitable for applications like generative AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and edge deployments.

Pegatron, on the other hand, has become one of NVIDIA’s global partners in advanced GPU computing technology, particularly with the latest NVIDIA GB200 chip. Reportedly, Pegatron is actively developing the GB200 NVL36, designed as a multi-node, liquid-cooled, rack-level platform dedicated to processing compute-intensive workloads. Equipped with the NVIDIA BlueField-3 data processing unit, it enables network acceleration in ultra-scale AI cloud environments and fulfills various GPU computing functionalities.

GIGABYTE, a key supplier of high-end AI GPU servers for NVIDIA last year, showcased their latest offerings at this year’s GTC exhibition. Their subsidiary, GIGABYTE Technology, unveiled the GIGABYTE XH23-VG0, a 2U server featuring the NVIDIA H100 GPU and GH200 architecture, capable of transferring data at speeds of up to 900GB per second. Additionally, they announced the readiness of their product line for the next-generation Blackwell platform, including HGX boards, superchips, and PCIe expansion cards, which will be released gradually over the coming months.

Meanwhile, Wiwynn, included in the first wave of suppliers for the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 system, showcased its latest AI server cabinet solution based on the NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 at the GTC exhibition. They also presented their newest comprehensive liquid-cooled management system, the UMS100.

Ingrasys also showcased a range of innovations at the exhibition, including NVIDIA MGX architecture servers and the GB200 NVL72 solution. They also demonstrated advanced liquid cooling technologies such as the liquid-to-gas Sidecar technology and liquid-to-liquid Cooling Distribution Unit (CDU).

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• [News] TSMC’s 4nm Process Powers NVIDIA’s Blackwell Architecture GPU, AI Performance Surpasses Previous Generations by Multiples

(Photo credit: NVIDIA)

India’s Tata Group is reportedly in discussions with Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Pegatron to establish a joint venture, with the intention of co-managing the Apple iPhone assembly plant currently under construction in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The partnership is anticipated to hasten the growth of iPhone production capacity in India.

According to Reuters citing industry sources, Tata, having acquired an iPhone assembly plant in the southern state of Karnataka from the Taiwanese company Wistron in 2023, has officially become part of the iPhone supply chain in India.

On the other hand, the new facility in the city of Hosur, Tamil Nadu, will be Tata’s second iPhone assembly plant in India, featuring 20 production lines, as disclosed by sources cited by Reuters.

Amid rumors that Tata Group in India is deeply engaged in discussions with Pegatron to form a strategic alliance and establish a joint venture, Pegatron did not to respond to market speculations.

Currently, approximately 10% of Apple’s iPhone production capacity in India comes from Pegatron, with the vast majority of capacity originating from Foxconn’s iPhone assembly plant located in Karnataka.

Furthermore, Foxconn has the highest share in Apple’s current new iPhone assembly. Among the four iPhone 15 series models, only certain models like iPhone15 and iPhone15 plus are produced by Tata Group in India.

An industry source has reportedly stated, “Tata cannot build everything from scratch,” He indicated that after Tata establishes a joint venture with Taiwanese firm Pegatron, Pegatron will provide technical and engineering support.

In recent years, Pegatron has been consistently expanding its global footprint, with expansions ongoing in Taiwan, Mexico, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and other locations.

Regarding its operations in India, Pegatron announced in late October 2023 that it had invested approximately NTD 300 million (roughly USD 9.56 million) to secure leasing rights for factory premises in Tamil Nadu.

In January of this year, the Indian subsidiary announced signing a construction general contracting project to commence electromechanical engineering construction for a new plant, totaling approximately NTD 510 million (roughly USD 16.26 million). According to industry sources, Pegatron’s Indian facilities primarily focus on smartphone production at present.

(Photo credit: Apple)