Trailblazer Azita Martin

Azita Martin

Azita Martin is the Vice President and General Manager of NVIDIA’s AI business for the Retail, Consumer Packaged Goods, and the Quick-Service Restaurants industries.

The business helps companies develop and deploy AI solutions that drive revenue, solve supply chain problems, and drive operational efficiencies.

What is your point of difference as a business?

Unlike many companies – which either sell software or hardware –

How does NVIDIA and your team help retailers with their AI and digitisation initiatives?

NVIDIA brings a deep expertise in AI to help our customers and partners understand what AI use cases deliver the greatest business value. For example, computer vision technology is being employed by ALDI in the United Kingdom for frictionless checkout – self-service shopping experiences. The retail industry also is using computer vision to combat inventory loss, which today impacts overall revenue by about 2%. Computer vision technology at self-checkout lanes and throughout the store can alert store staff to suspicious activity. It is being deployed in thousands of stores around the world, particularly in supermarkets. We also see AI recommender systems helping retailers understand their customers better, letting them parse data to deliver personalised shopping lists and suggestions, which drive higher revenue and increase customer loyalty. NVIDIA helps companies create and deploy their own AI applications, or we connect them to a broad ecosystem of partners who work with them to deploy AI applications that meet the challenges our customers are facing.

“I am particularly excited about how AI and robotics will help automate warehouse and distribution centres and speed up the flow of goods around the world”

NVIDIA is an accelerated computing company that delivers a full stack for building AI applications faster. We specialise in graphics chips that are a prerequisite for most AI applications and have created software accelerators, development kits and the like to make it easy to develop and optimise AI applications quickly.

This means that customers can build the most accurate AI applications faster and deploy it in the most costeffective way. Our technology stack is available through leading equipment manufacturers and cloud service providers. Or companies can buy stateof-the-art AI applications directly from software partners and startups that use our technology. It is that flexibility that customers value, and it helps us stand out as a leader in AI.

What technology are you most looking forward to using more of?

In retail, it will really be a combination of technologies. Our Omniverse simulation software helps businesses optimise store layouts, and it provides consumers with a much better, faster shopping and checkout experience. We are also excited about how AI is bringing efficiencies to the supply chain. Simulation and digital twins can optimise distribution centres and warehouses, allowing companies to fulfil orders 20-30% faster. And machine learning software is being used to optimise routing and improve transportation of goods, helping companies deliver products to consumers faster and to commit to tighter delivery windows. Together, these will create new and improved shopping experiences for the customer – and deliver new revenue streams for businesses.

What has been your career highlight, prior to your current role?

I started my career as an aerospace engineer designing commercial aircraft. Seeing those aircraft carry millions of passengers safely to their destinations every day is still a career highlight.

What has been a highlight in your current role?

NVIDIA allows us to do life-changing work. Not only do we work to help customers solve some of their most challenging business problems, but those outcomes also have the potential to create better experiences

“NVIDIA is the most important tech company on the planet”

YAHOO FINANCE for billions of consumers. In my current role, I am surrounded by some of the most brilliant minds in the world. Every day, I learn more about all the amazing technologies that are helping solve the hardest problems in the world.

What exciting plans do you have coming up as an organisation?

We are always introducing new advancements in AI – pushing the boundaries on self-driving cars, digital twin simulation to combat climate change, and improve medical diagnostics. In retail, I am particularly excited about how AI and robotics will help automate warehouse and distribution centres, and speed up the flow of goods around the world. By tackling these big problems, we are proving AI can make an enormous difference in how we work, shop and play.

“NVIDIA is an accelerated computing company that delivers a full stack for building AI applications faster”