Inside Nvidia HQ: What a $2T Company’s Office Looks Like | WSJ Open Office
At Nvidia’s headquarters, the AI chips that propelled the company to a $2-trillion valuation were used in custom software that helped design the space-ship-like buildings. The tech company’s office in Santa Clara, California, is now one of the most sought-after places to work.
WSJ took a tour of the campus - and chased down a robot - to find out what an office with over one million square feet looks like.
Chapters:
0:00 Nvidia’s headquarters
0:44 Office setup
2:13 Creating connections
4:!5 Maximizing efficiency
6:45 Future space
Open Office
Offices are as unique as the companies they house. This WSJ series takes viewers inside standout spaces to show the amenities-and quirks-that separate them from the rest, as designers and company executives explain the reason behind it all.
#Nvidia #Tech #WSJ
We heard what the architects think, but would love to hear what the people working there think of this design.
I bet they hate it
The NVidians…
Maybe if they throw in more noise, people will work more efficiently. Throw in the noise of a few crying babies and people will work even better!
they would rather work from home
I used to work in Endeavor, it was my favorite office I've ever been in. Easy to navigate, tons of natural light, the noise mitigations they mentioned really work, and the sci-fi feeling really makes you feel like you're working on the future.
They’ve managed to design something that makes you feel lonely even when you’re with others Now that is talent
Lumen Industries from Severance.
It's better than fetus fields
@@evgen5647 hahahahaha
It literally looks like a mid 2000s airport terminal
Most large corporate buildings have that feeling tbh. Much like apples headquarters, but at least Apple had plenty of closed office space too
How do you know what a 2500~ airport terminal looks like
it really does haha
@@Adrian-lc6jqmy guy thinks he's funny
I was thinking the world's largest Starbucks.
There are an increasing number of studies that show that the risks of open plan offices outweigh the benefits. It feels more like an airport terminal than a place for concentration on a tricky technical problem.
Studies have also shown that working from home is often more productive, but managers don't care
you go to the an isolated place in the office for that
Most people at NVIDIA work remote and don’t come into the office :)
Take those studies with a grain of salt. Most studies are flawed
I think remote work is one of the best ways to work for focused individuals. Communication takes a bit of a hit but concentration is maximised when you are in your own space. @@midgetsanchez
odd that we never saw a single workplace
Probably not allowed to film in there
Not odd, the norm for large companies like this. Apple and MS are the exact same.
its not a local community store. i guess they must be having stuff that they dont want competitors or anyone not with the company to see. i guess.
Everyone was working on laptops with small screens.
remote work :D:D
Looks so big but feels like something is missing and empty.
Same feeling
😆fake
They did not show the actual office space, just the flashy common areas
@@ethan_ 😆 that's not NVidia
Privacy
I feel like Modern workplaces all have one MO: 1. Angles 2. Depressingly modern 3. Very iittle actual workspace 4. Uncomfy weird chairs
the chairs are the worst in this list.
My dream is to never work in open offices again. I have yet to be in an open office that doesn't suck the soul out of you and leave you drained with a headache at the end of the day, I always end up using sitting with my AirPods Pro in my ears all day to get some peace and quiet time to focus on actually working. Not listening to music, just the rain "noise generator" to drown out the last part of chatter.
Start your own business
@@whiteman-xtreme3998 Grow a new ear!
@@whiteman-xtreme3998wow what a great suggestion
Just don't work you silly goose 😜
I've seen people with industrial ear protectors on sometimes (in an office)
"the hi-tech roof removes noise" 4:51 almost yelling at each other with an awful background noise
Those are NASA references, not Star Trek references.
finally somebody noticed
They are Star Trek references. The founder is a fan of Star Trek.
@@ngendahayopascal7285 Two things can be true at the same time if you weren't aware.
@@andrewsaulf Star Trek: Endeavour is a story series about the USS Endeavour, the first ship to reach Warp 10.
@@ngendahayopascal7285 and where do you think Star Trek got their references from? :)
Been beating myself up a bit that I sold my 53 shares of NVDA at $303 each back in May 2023. Now thinking of liquidating a few other investments to rebuy but afraid to do so. I also currently have 500k in savings making me next to nothing.
Everyone needs a Margin of Safety in their portfolios and just remember, It's time in the market versus timing the market.
@@Jamesbrown1126 Certain Ai companies are rumoured to be overvalued and might cause a market correction, i think it’s best you reach out to a proper fiduciary for guidance
De-risk your portfolios, shore up your core holdings, and take some profits while balancing your portfolio allocations. I’d also suggest you go with a managed portfolio, but even those don’t perform so well, so it’s best you reach out to a proper fiduciary to guide you, that’s what works for my spouse and I. We've made over 80% capital growth minus dividends.
this is all new to me, where do I find a fiduciary, can you recommend any?
She goes by ‘’Melissa Rose Francks’ I suggest you look her up. To be honest, I almost didn't buy the idea of letting someone handle growing my finance, but so glad I did.
Well, this looks much like an airport, with lounges in different floors and opposite directions and terminals that are connected. The question is, if I go to the wrong direction for a meeting, it will take me 20 minutes to get to the other side, which is exactly the problem with airports. We went from cubicles to massive open spaces as if there's nothing in between. Most people would appreciate if they didn't randomly run across their C-levels while walking to a meeting or at the bar.
It is. All the meeting rooms are labelled like "C-71" and you know where C section is, but it has 4 levels and 100 rooms all labelled this way. Soulless just like the people who live to work in these corporations.
This was my question too, it looks too big and difficult to navigate, and there's walkways all over the place like it's the Death Star.
@@ivermektin6874 That's completely wrong. All the meeting rooms are named after a theme. It's movie references (like Death Star). There's an App that also shows you where is the room so it's not difficult to navigate. The buildings are also no where as big as airport so from one end to the other doesn't take that long.
Soul crushing liminal space not unlike a drab mall or airport. Would love to hear what the employees who have to work there think.
I would love to work in a space like that, simply brilliant.
@ChatGPT1111 You are a soulless bot though.
@@ChatGPT1111 Of course an artificial intelligence would prefer a soulless open office.... Humans however beg to differ.
Everyone is a critic and nihilist these days. The building is beautiful and has way more green space and open areas than your average office. Some of us don’t like to be secluded in dusty server rooms while getting flash banged by fluorescent lights
That's your opinion. I think it's beautiful.
This looks like a shopping mall
When you want that airport experience without actually travelling...
When you're fired they just get United Airlines staff to drag you out
Mr. Dahlgren's lack of blinking was kinda terrifying.
They produced him from the same factory as Zuckerberg
@@resa574I’ll ask my mom, but pretty sure you are wrong about that. He’s not my brother.
@@resa574 unlike Zuckerberg he has enough weirdness on open display to actually seem human, whereas Zuckerberg is entirely inanimate.
Don't worry, it's just the massive amounts of amphetamines
he looks like a soulless husk
I have been buying their video cards since the beginning. I am now on my 4090. My name should be on at least one of those triangles.
😂
My first graphics card was a GF MX440 in 02 and with the exception of 1 Ati card that I bought to try and ended up returning have bought NV ever since then.
I remember their Virtual Fighter demo at Fry's Electronics, us 3dfx users gave them no respect until a couple generations later.
Whale
My first GPU upgrade was a Riva TNT 2. I remember the online arguments of 3dfx vs NVIDIA which paralleled console wars. There was a time when I was a teen looking at NVIDIA stock price at just a few dollars. I knew nothing of investing but they were my favorite company and I thought it would be cool to own shares. I guess I should have jumped in.
you need an app to know where the bathroom is. great design.
Cool office. I’ll stick to remote work.
Cool. You're fired
What a lazy worker
@@youwillneverknowaboutme4406 I tend to think of others as people, not workers. I'm sad to realize you workers aren't the same.
@@Blynx1991 Yeah its not real work frankly. I've seen people work 2-3 jobs at the same time and they sucked at each one of them.
@@alainportant6412 Calling it 'not real work' is honestly stupid, especially with a sample size of JUST 2-3 people. Just because those people suck at their work does not mean the work is not real. Just goes to show how idiotic people are now(I am referring to you by the way) .
Honestly the colours and design feel kinda soulless, almost 1984-like
Facts.
NVidians hahaha
It's so obvious that this was written by Nvidia
Lol yeah that was such a joke to watch, he literally congratulated that guy after taking 30 seconds longer than he said
I mean it's a a tour of a building and explanation of why it was designed the way it was, what did you expect? A hard hitting Q&A? It's a fluff piece.
Another eternal optimist always seeing the glass half full.
Envydia lol
Can't be, I never once heard , "The more you buy, the more you save.", even once.
I literally did construction on this building and BOI LET ME TELL YOU.. SEEING THIS IN PERSON IS INCREDIBLE. It's a beautiful building. Definitely a unique format though, colorful throughout 2 trillion though 😮
That's the value of the company, not the building.
@@therealsimdansherlock
Lucky. Looks so cool
@@therealsimdan Are they different 💀??
@@Sugi_hereu have to be special
The architect was explaining simulation of sun light like if this is brand new. AutoCAD Revit software did this for many years.
Yeah, every physical based render engine can do this, but guess they want to sound clever.
One thing we shouldn’t take away from nvidia is the support they provide for research and openly publishing the results for everyone to use. Ray tracing technology relies on many research papers nvidia sponsored @@elowine
I think he's referring to something that is more scientific...more like in the field of building science. Yes we can observe the lighting conditions from those softwares but we don't really calculate them.
I think it has a lot more to do with the advanced ray tracing that NVIDIA's GPUs are known for.
Yeah but he was talking more about RTX and how it basically looked like real life
Looks very cool & I love the natural light & plant wall, but they need a space for the introverts & not just small rooms that you have to probably book. The open concept would drain me so much if I had to do that everyday.
Nvidia doesn't like hiring introverts (I've worked there before)
I bet $$$$$$$$$$$ and some stock would change your mind
@@david8290157 which is stupid considering a large majority of the STEM field is introverted...
I totally agree with you
@@david8290157 doesnt make sense, most left brain math geeks and nerds are introvert.
Live 10 mins from the HQ. It’s amazing to look at when driving by everyday. Really competes with the space ship in Cupertino
I think working in an open office like this will distract people. Also people may feel awkward because there's no personal space. I mean if you just want 5 mins of relaxation, there's everyone watching waiting to judge you by your every moment.
Yeah and for some reason companies refuse to accept that introverts actually exist... cause these open space offices are a nightmere for them and will contribute to burnout and quitting. That's probably almost half of your workforce feeling like sh**
nice place to visit once in a while but WFH is so much better for me.
so they work in what is basically a giant school cafeteria? lol
yup and considering how successful the company is, it works.
@@PlayoffZoro it's successful because there's barely any competition
@@BlackEagle352 its usccessful because they have single handely pushed computing to the maximum point in both hardware and software.
@@PlayoffZoromaximum relative to what? If there’s no competition, you will be at the top regardless of how high you are. They’ve certainly had massive leaps in hardware and software, but they’re slowing down or charging an arm and a leg for anything mediocre and up.
@@Polymath2B You act like they have a monopoly or something. Companies have tried and failed for years and they just CANT compete BECAUSE NVidia is so successful. AMD is super close in performance but even they cant top the NVidia software. If companies could they would.
As someone who lives in Santa Clara the Nvidia building is one of the coolest I’ve seen in Silicon Valley. Love taking car pictures there
Leather jacket man never disappoints.
Timestamped Highlights 00:14 🏢 NVIDIA's HQ uses their own chips to design the office and visualize daylight optimization. 00:30 🚀 Star Trek-inspired buildings connect through an outdoor park, reflecting NVIDIA's origins. 01:13 ❤ The heart of Endeavor contains active spaces like reception, conference rooms, and coffee breaks. 02:01 🗣 Open office layout promotes collaboration and deeper relationships among employees. 02:57 🌳 Shortcuts and connections make it easy to navigate between buildings and levels. 04:35 💡 NVIDIA's simulation technology helps create ideal working conditions and simulate daylight. 06:10 🌿 Green spaces, living walls, and labs balance tech and nature, signaling future growth. Summarized by @NoteGPT
god these corporate videos are always so cringe. >you're saying the actual work that they then do together is better? (by seeing each other across the building) >absolutely, yes. Any source to back this up??? Trust me bro.
Read the paper they cited.
Executives will still have their own private offices, I'm sure ;)
@@matthewrosso8569 Papers can't be biased, no, science is all objective... lol. Papers to confirm findings that you want regardless of truth are not outside the reach of those with a lot of money. Scientists largely don't make much money, and thus there are plenty who are more than happy doing a study where they arrive at a certain conclusion with biased testing parameters if the pay is good enough.
@@sicsempertyrannis3782 They can be, but that is not a refutation of any paper. If a paper is biased, you have to produce an argument proving it. Just saying 'papers can be wrong' is biased in itself. You haven't even read the paper. And no, there are not plenty of scientists (that still have a reputation) ready to risk their career by publishing trash.
@@sicsempertyrannis3782science is objective. The "science" they would cite isn't usually science.
I'd be more impressed if it looked like a giant video card with massive fans on the roof, to better reflect their roots. Right now it just looks like a pair of alienware desktops with people instead of anime figurines in the window.
The bubble is going to blow up soon.
It's a bit 1970s British office building crossed with Stansted Airport roof... Its like someone's tried to copy a Norman Foster building but with triangles. Was expecting more somehow.
00:02 NVIDIA HQ uses custom software and visualization tools for office design. 01:06 NVIDIA HQ design promotes collaboration and efficiency 02:05 Chip design focuses on connections 03:02 Nvidia's new office design fosters quick iteration and deeper relationships. 03:58 Efficient office design for quick navigation 04:56 Nvidia uses simulation to create ideal working conditions 05:52 Nvidia HQ features innovative architectural design with emphasis on natural light and greenery. 06:47 Nvidia plans to continue evolving and expanding.
Looks like a modern airport terminal
'More stairs than needed, elevators tucked away'. This sounds like those with disabiliries aren't welcome to collaborate..
Or to motivate walking for the 91.5% of the people in America who are able to.
Just driving by these buildings on San Tomas makes you go, Wow!
i remember driving by the area when the headquarters was still under construction, thinking just about how massive of a space they would end up hosting. crazy stuff. wish we could have seen some other spaces other than just the lobby though
2:45 *sound is reflecting somewhere imagine someone on the other side of the building going crazy of voices coming from nowhere
☠️
Exactly my thoughts too
Your premise makes no sense. Sound waves are just energy moving through a medium (air) which causes it to vibrate. Sound can dissipate in air and be absorbed by materials. If you say something in a room, the sound doesn't continuously bounce around the room forever. It dissipates in the air and is absorbed into the ground/walls. It's just energy.
@@ShadowViking47 it's a joke super nerd 🤓
Everyone hates open office concepts. Try listening to the people.
Why is that?
Maybe they shouldn't work at NVidia then...
Because you can't pick your nose in private.
no it just you
@@paulapana6241because it doesn’t allow true focus or productivity. How do you expect people to get work done if the environment they are in is basically just high school cafeteria but “triangles”?
Beautiful, would like to have seen the park in between the buildings.
I remember when we saw the first render of this office. Nvidia was so much smaller back then. They've executed incredibly, and this campus also looks incredible.
It has literally no soul. Looks like an airport and I can imagine, based on ly open space working experiences, that focusing on working could be very hard all day. Hard days and headaches will be the results for the working part.for the part who are walking around and managing next coffee it is a dream place
Would love a tour of the chip design room.
"Objective: Confront Yorinobu Arasaka" Looks sick!
Welcome to Cyberdyne Systems
They aren't doing military work unlike some other trillion $ companies though.
The campus will become self aware with the release of 5000 series video cards.
Two things. Number one I've noticed that whenever a successful company starts focusing on a new headquarters building that's usually a sign that they have lost their way and are no longer focused primarily on their product and they usually do poorly in subsequent years. Number two if you built your company in all its success based on buildings that had cubicles you really shouldn't be looking for a different way. People may not think cubicles let people work together but most engineering success does not come from people working together. Most engineering success comes from individuals going off into quiet spaces that are their own without any distraction and thinking very deeply about a problem and tell a solution comes to them. Distractions and interactions with other people break that deep thought that is so necessary to resolve solutions for complex problems.
i disagree with the first point, all the tech titans have their fancy offices, google's has tons of playground for decades and yet they keep soaring higher every year its true that ppl working in cubicles are very efficient , WFH is even better but once your company becomes rich and famous, you want stuff to show off that success esp when your peers have it thats why the board approves these lavish offices that dont look like offices at all lol
I think these trillion dollar companies know more about maximizing profits and growing their equity than some random youtube commenter
Not necessarily true with the first point. Companies go through maturity like anything else. Can’t speak for every industry but in tech, when it comes to new headquarters for the big companies it’s because they outgrew the space and capabilities of the old one. And also - fancy offices draw the young crowd and it helps with employee retention and attracting talent.
Wow it’s not a dense office at all…I work by here…those dudes are rolling the dough this year…wish I bought more of their stock
Wow! Most illuminating. Literally and figuratively! A Frisbee and biking and hiking park would be nice; with, a long sloping, meandering skateboard perimeter that terminates at an elevator or stairs to take you back to the top. And if you're going to have all of that might as well have a hang glider trebuchet also.
I used to work in Endeavor, it was my favorite office I've ever been in. Easy to navigate, tons of natural light, the sound mitigations the mentioned really work, and the sci-fi feeling really makes you feel like you're working on the future.
That's good to hear as from the video it looks awful and really dull and depressing.
why do you copy paste this same comment tho lol makes it seem more suspicious
4:29 Everything looks top notch, but why are there puddles?
This is dystopian future they see🤔
waiting for layoff soon :D
So much wasted space
And yet their Earnings Call sounds like a long distance phone call from the early 2000's.
they are very well off thanks to the ai train, dont worry for them
I used to work near there not long ago and would take a walk by the old buildings on the site. I have hard time now imaging how they managed to fit all this on that site.
It looks like another world. There's something about seeing such innovative and breathtaking designs that inspires you and makes you feel like you really are part of the future.
Mate just fly to London Heathrow lol same building
Looks nice and open but it must take forever to get from meeting to meeting with such sprawl. 🤔
Well they do have thousands of employees in one building, it's gonna be a long walk regardless
I would go nuts working there 😂
5:17 Agent 47 has really improved and now is able to show 10% of normal human emotions
You know, I could see this kind of building being used as a really fun convention center. And I don't mean just for things like comic-con; any big gathering really.
These companies with open office space must think we're idiots if they think we'd be fooled by how that design makes work more collaborative and productive. This is nothing but a way for companies to have more control. Most introverts hate this and they're some of the smartest folks out there!
It’s so weird hearing these corporate speak words when looking at these kind of projects. What’s more important is to listen to real employees without a threat of penalty. I’m sure most of them hate these designs. I know I hate open offices. If I have to go to an office then I want my own space where I can personalize it and make it mine.
Those tense eyes…
4:25 bridge walls are unreasonably tall - to deter employees from jumping off?
It's like an airport lounge, I dont think that the roof tiles would dampen the noise well enough, all the people in the open spaces seem to be eating or having a coffee instead of working.
One thing's certain, Nvidia treats their employees generously. I don't know how that's going to translate to their future stock price, but they've cornered the market for now.
interesting, but a big shame none of the measurements mentioned make any sense to me could you convert them to sticks or how-far-you-can-throw-a-ball maybe?
They should just build a big version of one of their parallel processors and put people inside it. They've obviously solved all the transport issues for electrons in the parallel processor and they need many people to do the same problem solving so it seems like a floor plan based on their parallel processor would be the best bet for productivity.
Those are very fancy buildings, no doubt. But I wont envy their employees, their parking lots are pretty much full even after 7pm.
Did they record this on a 720p webcam ? 4:39
looks like they didnt use that AI denoiser pro plus😂😂
when the interviewer says the buildings are star trek references when its clearly NASA 🤓
Really great documentary
Nvidia, the buildings are Amazing and Green, but Please bring back the Woman that says the jingle - Nvidiaaaaaa! We All Need Her Back! 🥺🥺🥺
Across the street from these two buildings are about eight very average looking Nvidia office buildings. I suspect that it is in the eight run-of-the-mill office buildings where most of the work is done.
This looks like a dystopian hellscape. It could've been an unused set from Logan's Run.
If I could have it my way I would have made the buildings look like giant graphics cards and the rooftop AC units would look like the cooling fans.
This office complex is soo stunning
"Elevators are tucked away".... great, a big thank you from everyone bound to a wheelchair.
Looks very similar to the buildings in Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
Simple question: do the directors and VP also sit there? I bet not. Seems like extremely inefficient workspace. I'd to see someone these people who design these things to sit there any work and lets see how much they can focus.
One question please! Is NVIDIA a safe buy to outperform the market this year? I'm tired of these new buys every week, just to make up some assets with low percentage on my $236k portfolio and try to keep everything around 10%.
I've always advised the lnvestors i know to exercise caution when it comes to new buys, especially right now. Its best you thread the market with the guidance of a qualified specialist or reliable counsel if you dont know where to look.
Agreed. I deal with an investment advisor for this reason. I currently have over $800k invested in a diversified portfolio that has grown exponentially and is suitable for all market seasons. Our current project for this year is a more concrete ballpark target.
How can I participate in this? I sincerely aspire to establish a secure financlal future and am eager to participate. Who is the driving force behind your success?
Monica Shawn Marti is the licensed coach I use. Just research the name. You'd find necessary details to work with a correspondence to set up an appointment.
I appreciate it. After searching her name online and reviewing her credentials, I'm quite impressed. I've contacted her as I could use all the help I can get. A call has been scheduled.
anyone know which engineering firm worked on this or what was involved from a structural design perspective?
The cameraman is awesome!
Weird they didn't show a single office, looks horrifying
Feels so sci-fi, like the kind of perfectionist buildings we see in movies. The future is rapidly changing, and it is equally as exciting as it is scary.
look up china’s mega buildings, train stations, malls, chongqing(a very cyberpunk like city) its all so uncanny and dystopian, idk but it will def make you feel some type of way in your gut
Also this is not office tour, this is simply showing the entrance of the office itself... Office tour means showing around the whole office. Check Kojima Studio tour for proper example.
light on the details - focused on ambiance and architecture no on desks and server racks - where the real work gets done
The Architect mentioned that the elevators are "tucked away but they are there". Wow. What a way to not be inclusive to those who are in wheelchairs. Or heaven forbid you are in a cast from your recent ski trip and need to get up to the 2nd level. It was kind of interesting that wayfinding and signage weren't that prominent. If you are new to that campus, I bet it is going to be confusing to navigate those buildings.
Handicapped people can work from home 😂
No one is in a wheelchair there, so no one cares.
Orrrrr it’s just promoting healthy living and you’re being sensitive :D
Is this an ad for Nvidia RTO?
Yes, it has always been the goal. To design an office so great that you literally want to live there.
beautiful buildings and spaces.
Would be cool as a science museum, or an indoor rainforest.
You work for 40yrs to have $1M in your retirement, meanwhile some people are putting just $10K in a meme coin from just few months ago and now they are multimillionaires.
I never liked open space. There is a lack of privacy and concentrating is hard. Best office layout: home office.
1:10 "The triangle is everywhere." Illuminati confirmed.
No other brands for our workstation GPUs. Reliable drivers, good performance.
Nvidians 😂😂 imbecility of corporations is infinite
Ok, we've seen the airport terminal building but where do the employees work?