How a Fintech Firm is Using Nvidia DGX SuperPOD to Train AI
Block has become the first company in North America to deploy the Nvidia DGX SuperPOD with DGX GB200 systems, signalling a strategic move to strengthen its position in open-source generative AI development.
The fintech company, founded by Jack Dorsey, will house this new infrastructure at an Equinix data centre dedicated to researching and training open-source generative AI (Gen AI) models.
The Grace Blackwell-powered Nvidia DGX SuperPOD integrates multiple DGX systems designed for AI and deep learning workloads, featuring purpose-built GPUs, optimised software and high-speed networking.
The DGX GB200 component utilises Nvidia's latest Blackwell GPUs to process extensive datasets and multi-trillion-parameter AI models.
Nvidia architecture offers Block a computing edge
This deployment marks a shift in the AI infrastructure landscape, as companies seek to develop increasingly sophisticated models. Whilst traditional technology corporations continue to dominate the headlines with large investments, fintechs are now emerging as key players in the AI infrastructure space.
Both systems are able to provide enterprises with computing power for AI workloads across sectors including healthcare, robotics and autonomous systems.
“Our past work on generative speech models means Block is well-positioned for innovation surrounding Gen AI models and all possible applications that come with it,” says Block's Chief Technology Officer, Dhanji R. Prasanna.
“The industry and the world is undergoing a seismic shift with adopting AI tools. At Block, we think it's essential not only to apply AI to existing problems, but also to explore, learn and build in the open so that we can advance the frontier of AI in a way that truly levels the playing field for our customers and community.”
Charlie Boyle, Vice President of DGX platforms at Nvidia, adds: “With Nvidia DGX GB200 systems, Block engineering and research teams can develop frontier open-source AI models that can tackle complex, real-world challenges with state-of-the-art AI supercomputing.”
Supporting AI infrastructure growth
Block selected Lambda's 1-Click Clusters as their AI cloud partner to test hypotheses before full-scale deployment. These GPU clusters offer access to interconnected Nvidia GPUs for short-term use, supported by machine learning engineers.
Lambda has now updated these clusters to include Nvidia's new Blackwell architecture, providing Block with consistent technology across development and production environments.
“As AI models grow in complexity and scale, businesses need powerful infrastructure that can match the pace of innovation,” Charlie adds.
The new infrastructure will be housed at an Equinix data centre and dedicated to researching and training open source Gen AI models.
These facilities offer global connectivity while maintaining data privacy compliance, high performance computing (HPC) capabilities and low-latency connections to thousands of partner networks and cloud services.
Jon Lin, Chief Business Officer at Equinix, explains: “Frontier models represent the cutting edge of AI technology, pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve and they require the latest in AI chips – like Nvidia's new DGX SuperPOD.
“By deploying at Equinix's neutral, cloud-adjacent platform, companies like Block can unlock expanded compute scale and flexibility. This enables the customisation of AI solutions with a choice of infrastructure, cloud, models and cooling at our neutral exchange.”
This infrastructure investment follows Block's recent launch of an open-source project called “goose” – an interoperable AI agent framework connecting large language models to real-world applications.
Initial applications focus on software engineering, though developers from Block and the open-source community are investigating use cases beyond engineering domains.
Dhanji says: “We're committed to an open source approach, sharing our learnings and results along the way. This infrastructure investment represents our belief that AI should be accessible and beneficial to everyone in the financial ecosystem we serve.”
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