Nvidia’s biggest annual event is finally here. GTC 2026 opened its doors in San Jose, California, on Monday, with chief executive Jensen Huang delivering the keynote address at the SAP Center. The event drew developers, industry analysts, and members of the press eager to hear what the AI chip giant has in store for the months ahead.
Huang, who rarely disappoints when he steps onto a stage in his signature leather jacket, was expected to walk the audience through a string of product launches and strategic updates. For a company that has spent much of the past year striking deals across the tech landscape, there was plenty of ground to cover.
A busy year of dealmaking sets the stage
Over the past several months, Nvidia has been quietly building an ecosystem that stretches well beyond its core chip business. One of the more talked-about moves came late last year when the company reached a nonexclusive agreement with chipmaker Groq to incorporate its inferencing technologies. The deal also brought several of Groq’s top executives into Nvidia’s ranks.
Groq makes processors built specifically for running AI models rather than training them. The company says its chips can handle that workload up to 10 times more efficiently than traditional graphics processing units. As the AI industry shifts its focus from model development to real-world deployment, demand for cost-effective inferencing hardware has grown considerably. Nvidia’s move signals that the company is paying close attention to that shift and is not content to sit still.
A laptop chip that could surprise gamers
Away from the data center conversation, Nvidia appears ready to make a move into the laptop processor market. Reports ahead of the event pointed to two upcoming chips, the N1 and N1X, designed to power Windows laptops. Built on Arm architecture, the processors are said to lean into gaming performance, an area where Nvidia already commands enormous loyalty.
The company’s graphics cards are staples in the gaming community, and its chips already power Nintendo’s popular Switch gaming consoles. A laptop processor would be a natural extension of that presence, even as the company’s main financial engine continues to run on data center revenue. Gaming brought in roughly $22.5 billion in fiscal 2025, a strong number that still pales against the $193.5 billion generated by the data center segment.
AI roadmaps and what comes next for Nvidia
Beyond the hardware conversation, Huang was widely expected to shed more light on the company’s upcoming Vera Rubin AI platform, along with Vera Ultra, which is targeted for the second half of 2027. Details on the future Feynman GPU architecture, penciled in for 2028, may also surface during the week’s sessions.
On the software front, Nvidia could introduce a platform designed to help businesses deploy AI agents across their operations. The service, referred to ahead of the event as NemoClaw, would give companies a structured way to integrate autonomous AI tools into their existing systems. Given how much of the current industry conversation revolves around agents, a formal Nvidia entry into that space would land at exactly the right moment.
Physical AI and the road ahead
Robotics and physical AI are also expected to feature prominently at GTC 2026. Huang has spoken at length about the potential for physical AI to become a multitrillion-dollar market, and the company has been investing accordingly. From simulating real-world physics to advancing self-driving technologies, Nvidia’s software portfolio continues to grow in scope and ambition.
GTC 2026 is shaping up to be one of the most packed editions of the conference in recent memory, and if past years are any guide, the announcements will keep coming long after the opening keynote wraps.
