DGX

What Is a Humanoid Foundation Model? An Introduction to GR00T N1 - Annika & Aastha

Jul 28, 2025 · 17:47

NVIDIA's Annika Brundyn and Aastha Jhunjhunwala introduce GR00T N1, an open-source Vision-Language-Action foundation model for humanoid robots. They argue that physical AI is key to addressing labor shortages in industries like healthcare and manufacturing, and that humanoid forms are needed because the world is built for humans. The model uses a data pyramid strategy combining limited real-world teleoperation data, synthetic simulation data, and internet video, with DreamGen for data multiplication. Its dual-system architecture, inspired by Kahneman's 'Thinking, Fast and Slow', has a System 2 planner for high-level reasoning and a System 1 for fast motor control at 120 Hz. The model is trained end-to-end via imitation learning and reinforcement learning, and features a generalist action decoder that enables cross-embodiment fine-tuning.

How to Build Your Own AI Data Center in 2025 — Paul Gilbert, Arista Networks

Apr 27, 2025 · 23:00

Paul Gilbert, tech lead at Arista Networks, explains the key considerations for building AI data center networks in 2025, emphasizing the stark differences from traditional enterprise networks. He details the backend GPU network (eight 400G ports per H100 server, no over-subscription), the front-end storage network (calmer, 100-200G), and the need for lossless Ethernet with ECN and PFC flow control to prevent packet drops during synchronized GPU bursts. Gilbert highlights power challenges (10.2kW per GPU server, requiring 100-200kW water-cooled racks) and the importance of telemetry like RDMA error monitoring and an AI agent that correlates GPU and network issues. He also covers advanced load balancing (cluster-aware, up to 93% utilization) and smart system upgrades without downtime, while noting the upcoming Ultra Ethernet Consortium (v1.0 in 2025) that shifts congestion control to NICs.