A part of downtown San Jose is bathed in green this week with the Nvidia GTC conference taking over SAP Center and the surrounding area.
More than 30,000 people are expected to attend what’s considered the “Super Bowl of AI.” The conference kicks off Monday and runs through Thursday, meaning a lot of people, cars and money for the local economy.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, founder of the company headquartered in Santa Clara, was the keynote speaker Monday. Attendees said they wanted to hear what he had to say about the next generation of processors and the future of AI.
Activists were also trying to get their messages in front of the attendees, including calling on Nvidia to consider AI’s impact on the climate.
The conference is changing San Jose’s traffic patterns.
San Jose police said they’re closing streets around SAP Center, including Barack Obama Boulevard. There are closures around downtown and the convention center as well, including at West Santa Clara Street and Almaden Boulevard.
While the conference ends on Thursday, some road closures will remain in effect through the weekend for the teardown.