Nvidia releases Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, open-source AI model
Nvidia has released Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, an open-source AI model designed to run on consumer-grade hardware. The move aligns with CEO Jensen Huang's strategy to promote open-source AI, which he argues fosters innovation and increases demand for Nvidia's graphics processing units.
Why it matters
This release highlights the strategic shift of major hardware providers toward open-source AI to compete with proprietary models and drive chip sales.
In late July, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang posted on X for the first time to defend open-source models in artificial intelligence, inserting himself into a debate that was raging across the industry.
Less than three weeks later, Nvidia is releasing Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, which the company says is "lightweight" and can run on a single graphics processing unit on a PC. It's Nvidia's first open-source model since Huang joined most of his tech peers in urging the U.S. government to support open models while "avoiding premature restrictions" that could push innovation overseas.
The new Nemotron offering is free for companies to download, use and modify without getting permission or paying Nvidia.
For Nvidia, open-source AI is a boon for chip sales, because the models still need to run on GPUs, and the lower prices can serve to boost usage over proprietary models from the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in