NVIDIA GTC 2026 Preview: New Inference Chip with Groq Integration, Rubin GPU, and Agent AI in Focus

NVIDIA GTC 2026 Preview: New Inference Chip with Groq Integration, Rubin GPU, and Agent AI in Focus

With NVIDIA GTC 2026 set to begin on March 16, 2026, multiple significant AI announcements are expected. The most anticipated is the potential unveiling of a new AI chip specifically designed for inference.

This new chip is reported to integrate technology from Groq, the AI startup NVIDIA acquired for $20 billion. Groq's dataflow architecture achieves high-speed token generation exceeding 500-1,000 tokens per second, complementing the inference speed limitations of NVIDIA's existing GPUs. With reports that OpenAI will be a major customer, the chip is expected to be a strategic product addressing the explosive growth in generative AI inference demand.

Regarding memory design, the chip may reduce dependence on supply-constrained HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) in favor of greater utilization of fast on-chip SRAM memory. This aims to secure advantages in both cost efficiency and supply stability.

Additionally, a roadmap for the next-generation GPU architecture 'Rubin' and its successor 'Feynman' is expected to be revealed. Feynman is rumored to adopt co-packaged optics technology that would significantly reduce power consumption, potentially dramatically improving the energy efficiency of AI computation.

Another major theme is 'Agent AI.' Autonomous AI agents that independently execute tasks are attracting attention from CEO Jensen Huang as a technology that will drive future inference demand. GTC will feature numerous sessions on agent AI and an event for building AI assistants using the open-source project 'OpenClaw.'