Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang pushes modular data centres and dismisses AI job fears

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has unveiled pre-fabricated, containerised data centres designed to cut deployment times from months to days, while directly challenging the argument that artificial intelligence will eliminate human jobs.

Speaking to an audience of roughly 3,000 developers, analysts, and investors at Berlin’s Tempodrom auditorium during the Nvidia GTC conference, Huang insisted public alarm over job losses is "precisely backwards".

"The facts are that AI has created more software jobs," Huang said. "The facts are that AI has created more healthcare jobs. The facts are even AI's creating legal jobs." He argued that the surge in artificial intelligence is driving an industrial revival, generating manufacturing and construction work while prompting heavy capital investment into energy grids, including solar, battery storage, and small modular nuclear reactors.

Solving Europe's computing bottleneck

The central operational challenge Huang addressed is the severe shortage of computing infrastructure outside the United States. European developers have struggled with limited local capacity, hindering their ability to train and run large generative models.

To bypass lengthy construction cycles, Huang presented the Vera Rubin DSK Pod, a modular computing unit delivered in a shipping container format. The plug-and-play architecture will allow enterprises and cloud operators to stand up facilities in days rather than waiting months for bespoke physical builds.

Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, president and managing director of venture firm General Catalyst, pointed out ahead of the keynote that access to raw hardware remains the sector's primary hurdle, noting that "the big bottleneck is compute."

Industrial AI and software safeguards

Huang said Nvidia has poured $10 billion into European startups and corporate partnerships over the past year. He argued that the continent’s industrial backbone positions it well for the next wave of automation, where AI moves beyond text generators into physical machinery and factory robotics. Huang pointed to collaborative work with German automotive and engineering heavyweights including Siemens, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz chief executive Ola Kallenius, who is collaborating with Nvidia on automated vehicle platforms, stated during the event that autonomous systems could ultimately eliminate crashes caused by human error, driving road deaths "down to zero".

To counter regulatory and enterprise anxiety over autonomous systems running out of control, Huang also highlighted Nvidia’s OpenShell and Sentry software tools. The programs act as an external digital boundary, confining AI applications within defined operating parameters and shutting down operations if corporate rules or safety limits are breached.

The presentation was briefly halted when demonstrators unfurled a banner calling on the company to clean up its business practices. Huang asked security staff to avoid rough handling as the protesters were escorted out, before resuming his pitch that European industry must build out infrastructure immediately or risk permanent technological dependency.