Scientists have created a new mini-PC that’s almost as powerful as a supercomputer, yet fits in your bag.
The new device, dubbed “Project Digits,” is designed for developers, researchers, students, and data scientists working with artificial intelligence (AI). Applications include running AI models that previously required access to large data centers via the cloud, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.
The design of the product has not yet been decided, but it will be sized to fit on a desk or in a bag.
The device is powered by the Nvidia GB10 Grace Blackwell superchip, which houses linked, separate components on a single chip, reducing the time it takes to move data between components.
This superchip is powered by an Nvidia Blackwell graphics card and Nvidia Grace processor, and is packaged with 128 gigabytes of memory and 4 terabytes of SSD storage.
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Overall, this device is about 1,000 times more powerful than your average laptop.
Mini PC 1000x more powerful than a PC or laptop
“NVIDIA’s Project DIGITS allows robotics, computer vision, and autonomous systems researchers to experiment, fine-tune, and extend their solutions faster than ever before, all from the comfort of their desks.” said Raquel Urtasun, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto. the founder of self-driving car company Wabi said in a statement. Waabi uses Nvidia technology in its fleet of self-driving trucks. “We can’t wait to see what breakthroughs Project DIGITS will bring.”
Supercomputing power is measured in floating point operations per second (FLOPS). The world’s most powerful supercomputers deliver just over 1,000 petaflops (1 quintillion FLOPS) of power. IBM says this makes it 1 million times more powerful than a laptop.
In contrast, Project Digits can deliver 1 petaFLOPS of power. It’s not quite as powerful as the best supercomputers, but it’s much more powerful than most desktop PCs and laptops, and it fits in a much smaller chassis.
This “desktop supercomputer” allows researchers to run large language models (generative AI tools such as ChatGPT) with up to 200 billion parameters, and connect two Project DIGITS devices to generate 405 billion parameters. parameters can be achieved. For reference, GPT-3.5, which enhances the first version of ChatGPT released in November 2022, is approximately 175 billion parameters, where each parameter is a variable that controls how the model processes and generates text.
The design of the device has not yet been finalized. Nvidia representatives did not release images of the prototype, but said it will be available in May for about $3,000, and prospective buyers can register.