Nvidia's Supply Chain and AI Integration

Overview

• Nvidia operates one of the largest and most complex supply chains.
• Example: A single Nvidia Hopper DGX has nearly 40,000 parts from over 150 suppliers and weighs nearly 350 pounds.
• Nvidia's supercomputers connect thousands of GPUs with hundreds of miles of high-speed optical cables.
• Rely on hundreds of partners to deliver thousands of components to a dozen factories to build nearly 3,000 products.
• Single disruptions can impact commitments.

AI Planner

• Developed by Nvidia’s business operations team to manage supply chain data.
• Built on Nvidia Inference Microservices (NIM).
  • NIM is a container with pre-trained models and CUDA acceleration libraries.
  • Easy to download, deploy, and operate on-premises or in the cloud.

Components of AI Planner

• Uses multiple NIMs for different functions:
  • LLM NIM: Understands planner’s intention and directs other models.
  • Nemo Retriever RAG NIM: Connects LLM to proprietary data.
  • KOP NIM: For logistics optimization.
    • Nvidia KOP (Combinatorial Optimization Library) is GPU-accelerated and holds 23 world record benchmarks.

Operations Research

• Concerns efficient decision-making for highly complex logistics problems.
• Examples include traveling salesman, vehicle routing, supply chain optimization.
• Industries spend billions on routing operations; efficiency gains can save millions.
• Modeling and optimization are complex due to numerous variables, constraints, and real-time changes.

KOP: Optimization Brain

• Acts as a supercomputer for decision-making.
• Uses GPU-accelerated heuristics and evolutionary algorithms.
• Calculates optimal routes in seconds and dynamically recalculates based on changes.
• Allows analysis of thousands of scenarios in real-time using natural language.

Example Scenario

• AI planner reallocates products based on changing conditions.
• Scenario: Reallocating RTX 6000 to customers with highest demand given supply and production changes.
  • Traditional replanning: Overnight duration.
  • AI Planner: Takes seconds, providing agility and speed.