NVIDIA partnership scope agreed - CIQ Rocky Linux for NVIDIA AI at GTC
Situation
Agreed with Scott Hara on NVIDIA partnership deliverable: CIQ will deliver a free CIQ Rocky Linux for NVIDIA AI (with AI patches + NVIDIA drivers) for GTC showcase in ~8 weeks. No requirement to upstream to community Rocky short-term. Support cadence: 1-2h kickoff Q&A, then 3 weekly 1h sessions, then ad hoc. CIQ maintains distro with minimal NVIDIA intervention; NVIDIA supplies patches, system access, and optimization guidance.
Reasoning
GTC creates a forcing function with high visibility. Scope minimizes CIQ burden - clean separation where CIQ maintains distro, NVIDIA provides patches/access. Avoiding upstream obligation removes timeline risk. Free offering positions CIQ Rocky as the enterprise NVIDIA AI option. Confirmed NVIDIA uses Ubuntu internally (not Alma) - no direct competitor. Red Hat developments impacting Ubuntu pathways explains why NVIDIA needs this partnership now.
Additional Context
Scott needs to finalize internal business case and get approval before kickoff. Sarah to schedule Friday follow-up. Need to check with Bjorn on any deck updates. Engineering team will need 1-2h kickoff then weekly sessions for first month.
Related Context
fathom
GTC target (≈8 weeks): launch a free CIQ Rocky Linux for NVIDIA AI (with AI patches + NVIDIA drivers); no community Rocky integration required short-term
Outcome
No outcome recorded yet.
Decision ID: 82fa1bf9-aeee-4b21-b473-7b2c381e7d09