Nvidia Nemotron 3.5 Lightning: Open-Source AI Model Released

Nvidia has launched Nemotron 3.5 Lightning, a new open-source AI model. The company describes it as "lightweight" and capable of running on a single GPU on a laptop or desktop. This marks Nvidia's first open-source model since CEO Jensen Huang publicly supported open AI last month. Companies can download, use, and modify it for free without needing permission or payment. Huang previously stated that open models strengthen safety, accelerate innovation, and enable sovereignty. Nvidia says Nemotron 3.5 Lightning is built for AI agents, which are programs that run tasks autonomously. Companies like CrowdStrike and Harvey have already tested it. The model is available on HuggingFace and Nvidia's website. Nvidia also released NeMo Switchyard, software that selects the most cost-effective AI model for a task. This move could mean more chip sales for Nvidia, as cheaper AI could drive demand for their hardware.