Fastweb has purchased thirty one NVIDIA DGX H100 systems for installation in its next-generation data centers in Lombardy, Italy. The system, which utilizes the latest NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD reference architecture and features 248 NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs, is expected to be operational by the first half of 2024.
This investment is touted to enable Fastweb to use the highly performant NVIDIA DGX H100 cluster for artificial intelligence, which will be made available in the cloud as an IaaS to its customers for the development of AI and generative AI applications.
Fastweb will leverage NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, to develop and deploy the first large language model (LLM) natively trained in the Italian language. A group of generative AI experts will work through deep learning systems to develop an LLM based on large sets of data in the Italian language. This new LLM will be a nation-specific platform for the development by Fastweb and third parties of an extensive range of generative AI applications. It will be capable of capturing the nuances of the Italian language, as well as the specifics of its grammar, context and cultural identity.
The combination of NVIDIA DGX H100 systems, the national LLM and Fastweb’s cloud and cybersecurity infrastructures will make available an end-to-end system through which companies, public administration, startups and other players will be able to develop generative AI applications for any vertical.
Ronnie Vasishta, SVP of Telecom, NVIDIA
As the industry turns its focus toward cloud computing, the telcos of tomorrow will not just be providers of connectivity. Fastweb’s investment in the digital transformation of Italy is a profound step toward bringing powerful, efficient and localized computing to AI pioneers in the country.
Walter Renna, CEO, Fastweb
With this strategic investment, Fastweb strengthens its vocation as an enabler of the country’s digital transformation and creates the foundation to develop AI-based services with a national and sustainable approach. We will make available to our enterprise customers, public administrations and the entire Italian ecosystem a high-performing, transparent and explainable system for the development of gen AI applications.
