Larry Ellison and Elon Musk begged Jensen Huang for GPUs

Oracle Chief Ellison and Elon Musk’s Plea for GPUs

Oracle’s co-founder and chairman, Larry Ellison, revealed a recent dinner meeting with Elon Musk and Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang, where they expressed their urgent need for additional GPUs. During Oracle’s earnings call, Ellison declared, “I would describe the dinner as me and Elon begging Jensen for GPUs.” In a humorous aside, he added, “It went OK, it worked.”

High Demand for GPUs in Big Tech

Ellison’s remarks underscore the intense demand for GPUs (graphical processing units) among major technology companies. GPUs are critical components for building and training artificial intelligence (AI) models. Oracle, like many Big Tech firms, relies heavily on Nvidia as their primary GPU supplier.

Oracle’s Ambitious AI Goals

Oracle’s AI aspirations are evident in Ellison’s discussions about the company’s plans to construct a supercomputer utilizing Nvidia GPUs. In the past, Oracle has provided GPUs to Musk’s startup xAI for training their Grok model. Ellison acknowledged xAI’s significant demand for additional GPUs, stating, “They got that up and running, but boy did they want a lot more GPUs than we gave them; we’re in the process of getting them more.”

Ellison’s Bullish Outlook on AI

Ellison expressed optimism about the future of AI, predicting that the race to develop and train models over the next five years will be “astronomical,” amounting to over $100 billion. Oracle’s plans for a data center powered by nuclear reactors highlight the company’s commitment to supporting the exponential growth in AI.

Oracle’s Supercomputer and Data Center

Oracle’s proposed supercomputer is designed to incorporate up to 131,072 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs, providing a massive computational infrastructure for AI development. The company has acquired permits to construct three nuclear reactors to power this data center, ensuring a reliable energy source for its demanding operations.

AI’s Potential Impact on Society

Ellison also reflected on the potential societal implications of AI. He suggested that AI could play a role in monitoring citizens, supervising police officers, and reporting misconduct. “Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on,” he said. Oracle declined to provide immediate comment on the topics discussed in this article when contacted by Business Insider.