Arbitrum (ARB) had to cause a sensation.
The layer 2 network, which houses an increasing number of decentralized AI platforms, was preparing to announce an important step: it had been appointed exclusive NVIDIA Ethereum partner for the new ignition IA accelerator of the flea manufacturer, a reshuffle of its creation program that supports promising AI startups with infrastructure credits and mentoring.
Then came the pivot.
“We received last-minute communications from Nvidia asking for a break, however, they did not provide specific details to explain why,” said a spokesperson in Coindesk in an email.
This is a revealing moment, and a reminder that despite the continuous efforts of cryptography to align with the booming sector of AI, Nvidia’s programs always explicitly exclude projects related to crypto. A quick glance at the criteria of the creation accelerator (ignition is a ramification, given the creation badge on its site) shows a clear disqualifier: cryptocurrency.
This position is not new, and although it can frustrate the cryptography developers who seek to draw on the Nvidia ecosystem, it reflects a longer distance story and occasional denigration of the management of the company.
In 2018, the co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang described the impact of ICO Boom as giving Nvidia a “crypto wood mouth”. The collapse of Ethereum prices has left the business with an unwaned GPU inventory, and Nvidia subsequently paid a fine of $ 5.5 million on the way it has declared an impact on income related to crypto.
Years later, in an interview in 2023 with The Guardian, the CTO Nvidia Michael Kagan was more direct: “The crypto does not bring anything useful for society,” he said, adding: “I never thought that [crypto] is something that will do something good to humanity ”, contrasting it at AI.
This skepticism contrasts strongly with the embrace of artificial intelligence by Nvidia and the occasional tolerance of the blockchain.
During the Société Graphics Technology 2024 conference, Huang appeared on stage with Illia Polosukhin, co-author of attention is all you’s, the article which introduced transform models, which are the foundation of modern AI tools like Chatgpt. While Polosukhin also co -founded the nearby blockchain, the discussion was right on AI, not on the crypto.
The closest nod to the industry came when Huang, in typically wide brain accidents, said: “We had programmable humans, we had programmable proteins, we had programmable money.” The remark, probably rhetorical, was not a signal for supporting the crypto, despite the AI token bulls, and in fact no strategic change.
Even if Nvidia was clear about its position on the crypto, some in industry continue to interpret moments like these such as cracks in the door, a potential softening which could possibly lead to inclusion. But with Crypto still officially excluded from the flagship programs of Nvidia and the company refusing to comment on its current position, the door appears just as firmly closed.
For the moment, Nvidia’s message seems clear: the crypto is not invited.
