NVIDIA LaunchPad
Type: Platform Tags: NVIDIA, LaunchPad, Cloud GPU, Developer Labs, POC, Hands-On, AI Trial Related: NVIDIA-Developer-Program, NVIDIA-DGX, NGC, NVIDIA-AI-Enterprise, NVIDIA-Base-Command Sources: NVIDIA official documentation Last Updated: 2026-04-10
Summary
NVIDIA LaunchPad is a program that provides developers, data scientists, and enterprises with free, time-limited access to NVIDIA GPU-accelerated cloud infrastructure for proof-of-concept (POC) testing, development, and evaluation of NVIDIA AI and HPC software stacks. Through LaunchPad, users can access pre-configured lab environments running on NVIDIA DGX A100/H100 systems hosted at NVIDIA and partner data centers, without needing to procure hardware or install software. Labs cover use cases ranging from LLM fine-tuning to genomics to computer vision.
Detail
Purpose
Evaluating NVIDIA enterprise software (NVIDIA AI Enterprise, NIM, Base Command Platform, Omniverse) on high-end hardware before purchasing is a significant barrier for enterprises. LaunchPad eliminates this by providing pre-built, guided lab environments on actual NVIDIA infrastructure, allowing technical evaluations, POCs, and developer onboarding without upfront hardware investment.
Key Features
- Free, time-limited GPU lab access (typically 4-hour lab sessions)
- Pre-configured environments: no software installation required
- Wide lab catalog covering: LLM training/fine-tuning, drug discovery, autonomous vehicles, computer vision, HPC
- NVIDIA DGX A100/H100 hardware: enterprise-grade GPU systems
- Guided labs with step-by-step instructions
- Accessible from browser: JupyterLab, SSH, or web terminal
- Available through NVIDIA and CSP (cloud service provider) partners
- LaunchPad on AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle Cloud, and others
Use Cases
- Enterprise evaluation of NVIDIA AI Enterprise software
- Hands-on developer onboarding for CUDA-X libraries and NeMo
- POC development before hardware procurement
- NVIDIA GTC and DevSummit lab sessions
- University and research access to GPU computing resources
- Partner demonstrations of NVIDIA-powered AI solutions
Hardware Requirements / Compatibility
- Fully cloud-hosted: no local GPU required
- Browser-based access: any modern browser
- Available globally through partner data centers
- Some labs require NVIDIA Developer Program membership
Language Bindings / APIs
- JupyterLab (primary interface)
- SSH terminal access for advanced users
- Pre-installed NVIDIA software stack: CUDA, NGC containers, NeMo, TensorRT, etc.
- Browser-based demo interfaces for select applications
Connections
- NVIDIA-Developer-Program — LaunchPad is a benefit of NVIDIA Developer Program membership
- NVIDIA-DGX — LaunchPad labs run on DGX A100/H100 hardware at NVIDIA data centers
- NGC — LaunchPad environments use NGC containers and models
- NVIDIA-AI-Enterprise — LaunchPad is the primary evaluation path for NVAIE
- NVIDIA-Base-Command — Base Command Platform is accessible and evaluatable via LaunchPad