Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's keynote headlines day 1 of GTC Conference in San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The annual NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference returned to San Jose, bringing some of the biggest names in tech to the South Bay.

The event, often described as the "Super Bowl of technology," kicked off Monday with thousands of visitors arriving for Day One of NVIDIA GTC, a weeklong showcase of innovation in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Organizers expect about 30,000 people to attend. Downtown San Jose has been transformed to host the premier global AI conference, which continues to grow its footprint each year.

"All the innovation, all the capital, all of the building. It's happening in the bay. There's a lot that's changing and feels like by the week in the bay. And so conferences like GTC are phenomenal for us to understand kind of who the new movers are, what the big announcements look like from that, from the kind of incumbent players," one attendee said.

Private jets filled San Jose International Airport ahead of NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's keynote at the SAP Center.

RELATED: Silicon Valley-based AI chipmaker Nvidia is the first $5 trillion publicly traded company

Huang outlined his vision for the future of artificial intelligence, including merging structured and controllable data with generative AI for ultrarealistic graphic design in video games and applications across other industries.

"This concept of fusing structured information and generative AI will repeat itself in one industry, after another industry, after another industry. Structured data is the foundation of trustworthy AI," Huang said.

The keynote speech was streamed live on YouTube, or you can watch below.

Questions surrounding artificial intelligence were also visible outside the venue, highlighted by a traveling billboard parked near the SAP Center. Visitors said they hoped the conference would provide clarity as they network and learn from industry leaders.

"I think it's really important because when we do all these brainstorming together and like hearing inside the industry what our actual trends are instead of doing like it's versus online, I think it's like making a great difference," said Anastasia Raskolova of Nebius.

RELATED: Nvidia to invest $5 billion in Intel; companies will work together on AI infrastructure and PCs

City officials advised visitors and residents to plan for delays, noting expanded road closures around the event.

The GTC conference runs March 16-19 at the San Jose Convention Center.