NVIDIA Launches Exemplar Clouds to Standardize and Enhance AI Cloud Infrastructure Benchmarking
NVIDIA has introduced a new initiative called NVIDIA Exemplar Clouds to address the significant challenges developers and enterprises face when choosing cloud infrastructure for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. These challenges include transparent benchmarking practices, inconsistent performance across cloud providers, and a lack of clear standards, all of which can lead to suboptimal infrastructure decisions. Core Challenges and Solutions The primary issue tackled by NVIDIA Exemplar Clouds is the gap between theoretical performance metrics and real-world outcomes. This discrepancy can cause frustration and hinder progress in AI development. To bridge this gap, NVIDIA has developed a framework that evaluates cloud providers based on actual performance and reliability, rather than just theoretical specifications. NVIDIA Cloud Partners (NCPs) are cloud providers who use the latest NVIDIA GPU technology, software stacks, and best practices to build their platforms. These partners are now part of the Exemplar Clouds initiative, which aims to ensure that their platforms are finely tuned for AI workloads and exhibit the necessary resilience for consistent developer productivity. Evaluation Process To achieve Exemplar status, NCPs must undergo a rigorous evaluation process. This includes demonstrating high performance and resiliency across a suite of open and workload-specific benchmarking recipes. The benchmarks cover various AI tasks, including inference, fine-tuning, and scaled pretraining. By providing a transparent, standardized comparison, NVIDIA Exemplar Clouds helps customers make informed decisions based on performance and total cost of ownership (TCO). One key component of this initiative is the NVIDIA DGX Cloud Benchmarking tool, which shares benchmarking recipes and results. This tool gives developers, researchers, and enterprises detailed insights into how different platforms perform for specific AI workloads. It also allows NCPs to receive actionable feedback, enabling them to continuously improve their services. Figure 1 illustrates a comparison between the total cost and training time for a model using FP8 and BF16 formats, highlighting the importance of precise performance metrics. Benefits for Users and Providers For users, the benefits of NVIDIA Exemplar Clouds are manifold. They gain access to reliable and consistent performance data, which reduces the risk of unexpected failures or inefficiencies. This data empowers them to optimize their AI deployments and make better-informed choices about their cloud infrastructure. Additionally, the initiative holds cloud providers accountable, ensuring they deliver the promised performance and value. For NCPs, achieving Exemplar status means gaining credibility and visibility in the market. The evaluation framework provides clear guidelines and benchmarks, aiding providers in identifying areas for improvement. This continuous optimization cycle helps NCPs stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of AI developers. spotlight: Yotta Yotta, an Indian AI cloud provider, is the first Asia-Pacific (APAC) cloud platform to join the NVIDIA Exemplar Clouds initiative. Yotta has already shown its capability to deliver high-performance and resilient results across a variety of demanding AI workloads. Over the next few months, the NVIDIA team will collaborate with Yotta to enhance user experiences, performance, and resiliency. Customers of Yotta will benefit from detailed benchmarking data, allowing them to understand exactly how their infrastructure performs for different use cases and ensuring their AI workloads run smoothly. Democratizing Access to AI Infrastructure By launching NVIDIA Exemplar Clouds, NVIDIA is democratizing access to world-class AI infrastructure. The initiative ensures that users from any region and of any size can build and deploy AI with confidence. This is particularly important for sovereign AI initiatives, where transparency and performance are critical. To get started, interested parties can explore NVIDIA DGX Cloud Benchmarking. Further details and insights can be gained by attending sessions at COMPUTEX 2025, including a keynote by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang, which will delve into the latest advancements in AI cloud infrastructure. Industry Evaluation and Company Profile Industry insiders laud NVIDIA's Exemplar Clouds as a significant step towards standardizing the AI cloud market. The initiative brings much-needed transparency and reliability, which are essential for the growing field of AI. Companies like Yotta, by participating in this program, can showcase their capabilities and build trust with potential customers. NVIDIA, known for its cutting-edge GPU technology and robust software ecosystems, is well-positioned to lead this shift, helping to set new standards for cloud AI infrastructure.