Reflections from GTC 2025: Robots, Recovery, and the Road Ahead
Four Days of Future Tech, Five Nights on My Son's Floor
When I finished my last interview on Thursday afternoon, tucked my microphones away, slid my laptop into my bag, and trudged back to my car, I knew what awaited me - sweet, blissful unconsciousness. That night, I collapsed into my own bed and slept for twelve solid hours. The kind of recovery that only comes after four straight days of sensory overload, caffeine, and asking robots politely to repeat their names into a clip-on mic.
After five nights of sleeping on my son's apartment floor (conveniently just minutes from the convention center), returning to my mattress felt like the ultimate luxury.
Now that I've emerged from my post-GTC hibernation and started sifting through hundreds of video clips, audio files, and (somewhat) legible notes, I'm finally ready to share some reflections.
Let's start with the most significant highlight: the robots. As I love to say: I’m here for the robots. And, I met a lot of them at NVIDIA GTC.
I met an orange humanoid named Mirokaï from Enchanted Tools, wearing her GTC badge just like the other attendees. She's designed specifically for human interaction, particularly in settings like nursing homes. I had the opportunity to interview a member of the team from Enchanted Tools, and I will share that interview later this week. Interactions with Mirokaï feel different than the other humanoids, and I’m excited to bring you the full interview.
But Mirokaï wasn't alone in her ability to engage.
The Disney BDX droids were captivating. These Star Wars-inspired robots showcased the perfect blend of advanced technology and artistic expression. Powered by dual NVIDIA computers, they feature sophisticated actuators (four in the head and neck, five in each leg), sensors, LEDs, and cameras that enable their fluid, expressive movements. Despite this impressive hardware, the droids still rely on skilled human operators who sync movements with perfect timing. Set to appear in the upcoming 2026 Star Wars film: “Mandalorian and Grogu,” they represent a compelling intersection where AI and performance art converge.
Then there was Neo, a humanoid vacuuming robot with genuine personality. During the demo, audience members kept pleading with Neo to come clean their houses. His response? "Not yet! Bernt [the CEO of 1x] can tell you when." He graciously accepted compliments about his vacuuming skills with a charm that reminded me of a witty butler—think Alfred from Batman, but with superior floor-cleaning capabilities.
I also had the chance to speak with a researcher from NVIDIA Earth-2—a conversation that resonated deeply with my environmentalist heart. I'm still working on that interview, but in the meantime, NVIDIA's recent announcements give us plenty to be excited about. According to their press release, Earth-2 creates a 'digital twin' of our planet where scientists can simulate and visualize weather and climate patterns. Their data shows extreme weather events have cost the global economy about $2 trillion over the last decade. One of their key technologies, CorrDiff (which stands for 'correlation diffusion'—an AI approach that enhances weather prediction detail), can create detailed forecasts about 500 times faster than traditional methods while using significantly less energy. I'm looking forward to sharing more insights from my conversation with the Earth-2 team soon.
As for sessions, two were particularly unforgettable. One was "Introduction to Autonomous Vehicles,” a fantastic overview of one of my favorite topics. What made it even better? It was led by two brilliant women from NVIDIA. More women leading technical sessions, please. I am just catching up with the sessions I missed using NVIDIA GTC’s “Watch on Demand” feature. But I think I will be using this same feature to watch “Introduction to Autonomous Vehicles” a second time.
Another very memorable session was "An Introduction to Building Humanoid Robots," which featured the ever-clear and insightful Jim Fan. I came away inspired by the way humanoids will be transforming industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and retail. I've followed Jim on LinkedIn for a long time, and it was a pleasure to hear him speak in person. I suppose you could say I am now a fan of Jim Fan.
The true magic of GTC wasn't just in the technology—it was in the connections. Like sharing my umbrella with a fellow creator as we dashed through the rain to lunch on my first day. "You're so prepared!" she marveled when I pulled a compact umbrella from my small computer bag. "Come on," I invited, "tuck under here. We're getting lunch." Just like that, I had a conference buddy with whom I could absorb the excitement.
My son attended for just four hours with his Santa Clara University graduate robotics program on Friday's exhibit-only day. "It wasn't nearly enough, Mom," he told me later. "There's so much there I wanted to see—so many more people I could have connected with if I'd had more time." He's already planning to rearrange his academic calendar next year to attend the full event.
GTC was an incredible experience—intense, exhausting, and absolutely worth it. I'm still working through the incredible amount of material I gathered over the past week- including the wonderful interviews. But, I'll be rolling them out over the next week.
Stay tuned. The robots might be done vacuuming, but I'm just getting started.
— Cheers,
Wolfie.
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