Nvidia Unveils $249 Jetson Orin Nano Super: Bringing AI to the Edge for Hobbyists and Small Companies

Nvidia Introduces Device Aimed at Small Companies, Hobbyists

TOKYO--Nvidia said Tuesday that it was introducing a $249 version of its Jetson computer for artificial-intelligence applications, half the price of its predecessor, to attract more hobbyists and small companies. The Jetson computers are essentially portable brains, mostly designed to allow developers of robots, industrial automation and other hardware to run sophisticated AI computations directly without connecting to a remote data center. Nvidia's main customers are big companies and AI startups that spend hundreds of millions or billions of dollars on hardware to train and operate their AI models. With its Jetson lineup, the company is making a play for accessibility, pitching the low-cost devices to small companies, hobbyists and students who want to try creating new products that integrate AI functions. In a promotional video, Nvidia founder Jensen Huang broke from his usual stagecraft--posing before towering server racks that use Nvidia chips--and instead presented the new palm-sized Jetson device on a tray, as if pulling it fresh from the oven. The $249 Orin Nano Super nearly doubles the speed and efficiency of the previous device and can process about 70% more computational tasks, Nvidia said. It contains less-advanced chips than those powering Nvidia's top-of-the-line products and targets commercial developers working on consumer technologies such as drones and cameras. The higher-end Jetson Thor is designed to support humanoid robots and sophisticated automation. "This is the time, finally, when generative AI capability is coming to the edge," said Deepu Talla, Nvidia's vice president of robotics and edge computing. "Edge" refers to individual devices in factories and labs as opposed to the large computer centers where most advanced AI work has taken place to date. Analysts said the Jetson line could diversify Nvidia's portfolio, in particular by drawing customers who are looking to develop robots. Other tech companies such as Intel, Google and Qualcomm offer similar edge systems. They could challenge Jetson's position in edge AI by offering plans tailored to applications such as vision processing. Asked about rivals, Talla said Nvidia's product was for general purposes and could run "all the latest greatest generative AI models." While the U.S. has restricted Nvidia from selling its most advanced hardware in China, the company said the new Jetson product would be available in China through local distributors.

Nvidia’s New $250 'Jetson Computer' Lets Hobbyists Play Around With AI Locally

The palm-sized Orin Nano is ideal for hobbyists and small companies looking to run AI applications locally, such as for use in industrial robots. Nvidia has released a new $249 version of its Jetson computer meant for running artificial applications locally. The palm-sized Orin Nano is said to double the speed and efficiency of its predecessor at half the price, and it can process roughly 70% more computational tasks, according to Nvidia. The Orin Nano is ideal for hobbyists looking to train their own artificial intelligence applications, or for developers of robots and other industrial tools to run sophisticated applications without connecting to the cloud. In a brief video on YouTube announcing the product, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stands in his kitchen as he pulls a tray out of his oven to reveal the small, palm-sized computer. Huang goes on to say the computer can process almost "seventy trillion" operations per second and draws just 25 watts of power. "A long time ago, we created a brand new type of processor, it was a robotics processor," Huang says. "Nobody understood what we were building at the time, and we imagined that someday these deep learning models would evolve and we would have robots for everything." The Jetpack computers were intended to power robots, but today can also run large language models like Meta's Llama. Sam Altman's startup World (formerly Worldcoin), which aims to authenticate human identity with iris scans, uses a Jetpack module inside its Orb scanning device. In a blog post back in October, World said, “In its newest iteration, the Orb is equipped with the most advanced NVIDIA Jetson module with nearly 5x the AI performance over the previous version to enable even faster, more seamless proof of human verifications.†In essence, the Orin Nano is a portable brain that can be plugged into other hardware to power its AI functionality. Cloud hyperscalers like Amazon and Google charge for access to servers and AI models, and those costs can add up. Certain applications might need guaranteed uptime and minimal latency, such as warehouse robots. Connecting to a remote cloud hosting provider is not ideal. That being said, a computer like the Orin Nano will only be capable of running more lightweight AI applicationsâ€"it will not replace Nvidia's high-end GPUs that cost tens of thousands of dollars and are capable of training and inferring from large-scale AI models. Still, if you are a tinkerer who wants to create some type of new AI-powered robot, the Orin Nano might be for you.

Nvidia Unveils Latest Jetson Supercomputer Aimed At Unlocking AI For Small Companies: What You Need To Know - NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA)

The latest Jetson computer model will target everyday consumers and small businesses looking to utilize AI. NVIDIA Corporation NVDA shares are in the spotlight Tuesday as the stock continues to pull back from recent highs. Despite the weakness, the company continues to charge ahead in the AI revolution with the introduction of a new, lower cost version of its Jetson computer. The Details: Nvidia unveiled its most affordable generative AI supercomputer on Tuesday. The new version of Nvidia's Jetson computer, priced at $249, is directed at hobbyists and small businesses looking to leverage AI applications, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company stated that the $249 Jetson Orin Nano Super offers nearly twice the speed and efficiency of its predecessor and can handle around 70% more computational tasks, at close to half the cost. "Whether creating LLM chatbots based on retrieval-augmented generation, building a visual AI agent, or deploying AI-based robots, the Jetson Orin Nano Super is an ideal solution to fetch," the company said in a news release. While the company faces restrictions in the U.S. related to selling some of its hardware in China, Nvidia has confirmed that the new Jetson product will be available in the country through local distributors. The move from Nvidia represents a shift from the company's usual focus on large corporations and AI startups with substantial budgets for AI infrastructure. These clients typically spend significant amounts on hardware to develop and operate their AI models. Related Link: Crude Oil Down Over 1%; US Industrial Production Declines In November Why It Matters: Nvidia is the latest company to introduce a product for the "edge," aimed at casual AI consumers and smaller businesses interested in exploring AI applications. The report indicates that Alphabet, Intel and Qualcomm have already ventured into the space. The move from Nvidia could potentially bolster competition between tech giants, driving innovation and potentially lowering costs across the industry. This shift to the "edge" could ultimately accelerate the adoption of AI across various sectors by offering businesses of all sizes the ability to experiment with and implement AI solutions. "Jetson Orin Nano Super is suited for those interested in developing skills in generative AI, robotics or computer vision. As the AI world is moving from task-specific models into foundation models, it also provides an accessible platform to transform ideas into reality," the company said. NVDA Price Action: At the time of writing, Nvidia stock is trading 1.47% lower at $130.05, according to data from Benzinga Pro. Read Next: Nvidia Technical Analysis Flashes Warning As NVDA Stock Slips Below Key Moving Averages, But Analysts Still See 18.11% Upside: Here's More Photo: courtesy of Nvidia. NVDANVIDIA Corp$130.14-1.41%Overview Rating:Good75%Technicals Analysis1000100Financials Analysis600100WatchlistOverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs