As global startups face the complexities of AI product development, Google is doing everything possible to provide them with everything they need – such as its recent partnership with Nvidia to bring together their respective startup accelerator programs.
Under this partnership, announced at Google Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas, Google announced it is merging its Google for Startups Cloud Program with Nvidia’s Inception initiative to give startups everything they need – from cloud credits to technical resources and go-to-market support – in order to develop AI applications and services more rapidly and bring value faster to customers.
Google and Nvidia’s collaboration has long been fruitful; recently they announced that Google Cloud customers can utilize Nvidia’s Grace Blackwell superchip. This announcement marks an extension of this partnership.
How will this joint accelerator effort benefit startups?
Since 2012, Google for Startups Cloud program has provided startups at various stages in their journey with various resources available on Google Cloud Platform; such as credits, technical mentorship support and networking opportunities. AI-first startups in particular can take advantage of up to $350,000 cost coverage as well as dedicated AI training and access to its ecosystem of infrastructure AI products such as Vertex and foundation models.
Nvidia’s Inception program also assists AI startups at all stages of development, but with the emphasis being on helping them navigate its ecosystem. Eligible members gain access to Nvidia software and hardware offerings (such as language model-friendly GPUs at preferred pricing), free credits to attend Deep Learning Institute workshops/courses at discounted rates, discounts from technical workshops/courses offered at its Deep Learning Institute as well as networking with industry experts and investors to bring their product or service to market.
Now, with these programs joining forces, members from each will become eligible for benefits from each. For instance, eligible Nvidia Inception members will have an easier path to Google Cloud infrastructure with access to credits of up to $350K available via Google Cloud credits.
Google initiative members who join Nvidia initiatives will gain access to Nvidia’s technological expertise, Deep Learning Institute course credits, hardware, and software resources; they’ll also gain access to Inception Capital Connect for connecting with venture capital firms interested in investing in this space.
AI startups that have been struggling due to the high costs associated with AI technologies or other barriers may benefit immensely from such developments.
Greg Estes from Nvidia noted in a blog post published today that emerging software makers from both programs will get fast-tracked access to Google Marketplace, co-marketing support and product acceleration assistance – helping them reach customers quickly and deliver value more rapidly.
Estes did not elaborate on exactly how many startups will benefit from the exchange of offerings, though he expects it to support hundreds worldwide. Nvidia Inception alone boasts 18,000 participants; Google remains uncertain of its exact participant count at this time.
Enhancing their existing collaboration, these companies’ partnership is the latest initiative to expedite development of generative AI applications and services.
Before this announcement was made, Nvidia collaborated with Google Cloud customers to make its Grace Blackwell AI platform available across their accounts, as well as implement optimizations across Nvidia AI platforms for Gemma family open models to make them more cost-efficient and cost-effective for customers.
Nvidia’s NIM microservices integrate seamlessly with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), offering enterprises a streamlined approach for developing AI apps and deploying optimized models into production.
