Nvidia's Huang unveils containerized AI pods and robot ducks in Berlin keynote

Protesters interrupted the GTC presentation as the chipmaker pushed its hardware into robots, cars and telecoms

By LineZotpaper

Published21 October 2026

Updated21 October 2026

Read Time3 min

Sources2 outlets

Jensen Huang used Nvidia's GTC keynote in Berlin to unveil DSX POD, a factory-built containerized AI infrastructure system, and showcased small bipedal 'Microduck' robots, positioning the company at the centre of what he called 'the next great industry' of physical AI.

Nvidia's chief executive Jensen Huang brought his AI-everywhere pitch to Berlin this week, unveiling new hardware reference designs and demonstrating cute robots despite an interruption by environmental protesters.

Huang was discussing Nvidia's upcoming Vera Rubin systems when protesters at the Tempodrom venue held up banners and demanded he 'clean up your act'. The Nvidia chief responded with a joke and security removed them quickly.

He proceeded to unveil DSX POD, a reference design for containerized AI infrastructure. The system combines seven liquid-cooled Vera Rubin compute racks tied together with Nvidia's Spectrum-X networking. Partners will cable, integrate and test the systems in modular containers before shipping, with availability expected in early 2027. Nvidia claims deployment could shrink from six months to as little as 14 days at a prepared site, though power, connectivity and other site infrastructure must still be arranged separately.

Huang emphasised that Vera Rubin systems are designed for closed-loop liquid cooling with coolant temperatures up to 45°C, and that outdoor dry coolers release heat without evaporating water. 'At 2 gigawatts, DSX can save 54 million litres of water a day,' he claimed, apparently addressing the protesters' concerns.

Much of the presentation focused on physical AI: robots, autonomous vehicles and other machinery. Huang interacted on stage with Microducks from Pollen Robotics, small two-legged robots with cameras for faces. He commanded them by voice to lie down and roll over, and the robots beeped in response. The demonstration showed an AI trained in the cloud, evaluated on an Nvidia RTX Spark PC, then deployed on the robots.

Huang also introduced Agile ONE SN, a humanoid robot reference platform from German startup Agile Robots built on Nvidia's Isaac GR00T technology and a Jetson Thor compute module, planned for early 2027. 'This is going to be the next major industry, the next great industry,' Huang said.

Beyond robotics, Huang said Nvidia's Hyperion car system is being adopted by more vendors and that Europe's telecoms operators are deploying Nvidia-powered computing using AI-RAN. He claimed Nvidia made the first commercial phone call on the T-Mobile network with Nokia, remarking that 'CUDA makes phone calls'.

Forrester principal analyst Paul Miller noted that Huang positioned Nvidia as an enabler for Europe's sovereign tech ambitions, pointing to investments of almost $10 billion in Europe over the past year including 14 investments in European startups during Huang's current trip. However, Miller cautioned that anything with critical dependencies on Nvidia is unlikely to meet strict definitions of European tech sovereignty.

Huang closed with a CGI video of robots performing a Eurovision-style song recapping his keynote.

Analysis

Why This Matters

Nvidia is pushing its AI hardware and software into robotics, telecoms and automotive, extending its dominance beyond data-centre AI training into physical applications that could reshape industries.
The DSX POD reference design aims to dramatically shorten AI infrastructure deployment timelines, potentially accelerating adoption by enterprises and telecoms operators.
Huang's emphasis on water savings and the protests highlight growing scrutiny of AI's environmental footprint as data centRE energy use escalates.

Background

Nvidia's GTC conference has become a key venue for the chipmaker to announce its latest AI hardware and strategy. The company has seen explosive growth from the AI boom, with its GPUs powering most large language model training and inference. Huang has increasingly positioned Nvidia as a provider of complete AI systems rather than just chips, and this Berlin keynote continued that push into physical AI, robots, autonomous machines and telecoms, as well as modular data centRE infrastructure.

Key Perspectives

Nvidia and Jensen Huang: Nvidia sees AI as the next industrial revolution, with its hardware and platforms essential for every sector, from cloud computing to physical robots and telecoms networks. Huang argues that Europe can benefit from Nvidia's investments and technology to achieve its own digital sovereignty. European tech sovereignty advocates: While Nvidia's investments and partnerships are welcomed, critics like analyst Paul Miller point out that reliance on a non-European company for critical AI infrastructure may fall short of true European independence. Environmental groups: The protesters' demand that Nvidia 'clean up its act' reflects broader concerns about the energy and water consumption of large-scale AI infrastructure. Huang's water-saving claims on the DSX system are a direct response, but the overall carbon footprint of AI remains contentious.

What to Watch

Whether DSX POD deployments actually meet the 14-day installation timeline when power and site prep are included.
Uptake of Nvidia's robot platforms (Microducks and Agile ONE SN) by developers and researchers, and whether Nvidia can establish a dominant ecosystem in physical AI.
Continued pushback from regulators and activists on AI's environmental costs as data centRE energy use grows.

Sources

Jensen Huang sends in the robot ducks to sell Nvidia's AI-everywhere vision · www.theregister.com - Articles
A protester and a robot duck hiccup: 2 moments from Jensen Huang's keynote didn't go to plan · All Content from Business Insider

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedHuang unveiled DSX POD at Nvidia’s Berlin GTC keynote.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Huang was discussing Vera Rubin systems before unveiling DSX POD, a reference design for factory-built, containerized AI infrastructure.”
SupportedHuang showcased small robot ducks at the keynote.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Cute robots stole the show at Nvidia's GTC keynote in Berlin”
SupportedEnvironmental protesters interrupted the presentation.www.theregister.com - Articles: “The Nvidia chief remained his usual ebullient self despite environmental protesters interrupting his presentation at Berlin's tent-shaped Tempodrom.”
SupportedThe protesters demanded that Huang “clean up your act.”www.theregister.com - Articles: “"Why don't you clean up your act?" they demanded, holding up banners”
Not in the sourcesThe story says Nvidia was positioned at the centre of physical AI.www.theregister.com - Articles
SupportedHuang called physical AI “the next great industry.”www.theregister.com - Articles: “"This is going to be the next major industry, the next great industry," Huang claimed.”
Partly supportedHuang was discussing “upcoming” Vera Rubin systems.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Huang was discussing Vera Rubin systems before unveiling DSX POD”
SupportedNvidia said deployment could fall from six months to as little as 14 days at a prepared site.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Nvidia claims deployment could shrink from six months to as little as 14 days at a prepared site.”
Partly supportedHuang said DSX could save 54 million litres of water a day at 2 gigawatts, apparently addressing protesters’ concerns.www.theregister.com - Articles: “"At 2 gigawatts, DSX can save 54 million litres of water a day," Huang claimed, perhaps thinking of those environmental protesters.”
SupportedAgile ONE SN was scheduled for early 2027.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Scheduled for early 2027, the platform is intended to give robotics researchers and developers a ready-made system for developing and testing capabilities.”
SupportedHuang said Nvidia made the first commercial phone call on T-Mobile’s network with Nokia.www.theregister.com - Articles: “"After working on this for nearly eight years, Nvidia made the first commercial phone call on the T-Mobile network with Nokia, and so now CUDA makes phone calls," he said.”
SupportedMiller said Nvidia had invested almost $10 billion in Europe over the past year, including 14 investments in European startups during Huang’s current trip.www.theregister.com - Articles: “Nvidia has invested almost $10 billion into Europe in the past year, including 14 investments into European startups during Jensen's current trip," said Forrester principal analyst Paul Miller.”