The AI chip giant’s consumer chips are being used by India-based custom computer manufacturers to build special systems for video editing in studios — and the Rs 11 lakh crore Indian wedding industry is one of the target segments.
Creating precious memories is an important part of the big fat Indian wedding.
Photographs and videos capturing every moment is a major part of the planning and expense, and big weddings can set aside anything from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 50 lakh just for this.
But Nvidia’s new chip is about to change that. The cost of creating these memories is set to come down substantially, while delivering better quality at the same time. And the speed at which these photos and videos can be processed is set to improve dramatically!
Graphics procesing units (GPUs) produced by Nvidia, the $3-trillion giant whose semiconductor chips have helped usher in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), are making a huge difference to the economics of big fat Indian weddings.
Six Indian custom computer makers are using a range of Nvidia chips — called RTX 40 — to build systems that can be used to speed up video editing using artificial intelligence. And one of their main target groups is studios that edit videos and photos of big weddings.
“Imagine a wedding videographer covering three weddings in a day. They have thousands of images, videos from different kinds of angles and you have to combine all those things… We are talking about 1.8x performance improvement depending on what kind of GPUs (in the RTX range) you are using,” said an Nvidia executive while demonstrating the editing chops of the chips in Delhi on July 10.
While the GPU giant’s stock has soared in the past couple of years largely due to enterprise grade AI chips such as the A100 and H100 which behemoths like Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Meta have used to build their applications, the RTX 40 series was launched in October 2022 and is being marketed as a chip that can help gamers and content creators to leverage AI in their studios and homes.
What makes RTX chips unique is their ability to do complex calculations really quickly, especially when it comes to creating realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections in videos. This makes the video more immersive because everything looks more lifelike and reacts realistically to how you interact with it.
Think of it like having a powerful engine in a sports car—it can handle high speeds and sharp turns smoothly. Similarly, RTX chips can handle lots of visual data and calculations without slowing down.
“The big fat Indian weddings today have massive amounts of videos and photos being clicked. Even compiling clips from one single day of the wedding ceremony takes one video editor an entire day. These RTX systems could help the same video editor deliver 2 or 3 days of footage in a single day,” says a chip industry executive.
Photography and videography typically account for 10-15 percent of the total wedding cost. This includes pre-wedding shoots, wedding day coverage and post-production editing. However, the percentage can vary based on the scale and demands of the event.
The note underscores that an average Indian spends Rs 12 lakh, or roughly $15,000, on a wedding, which in some cases exceeds the amount spent on 18 years of a child’s education. Compared globally, India’s wedding spend-to-gross domestic product ratio stands at 5x, according to the research note.
“For a studio, a substantial portion of their backend costs, typically around 30-40 percent, are spent on photo and video editing professionals. This includes salaries, software subscriptions and other related expenses, reflecting the intensive labor and expertise required in the editing process,” she added.
According to a recent report by Jefferies, India’s wedding industry is estimated to have grown to $130 billion (around Rs 11 lakh crore), second only to food and groceries in terms of consumption.
This means that the video editing cost in the average Indian wedding is in the range of Rs 30,000 to Rs 72,000 — which may go up to Rs 20 lakh in the lavish weddings. By the same measure, the entire segment of video editing of wedding shoots could be worth as much as Rs 66,000 crore.
“In lavish high-end Indian weddings, the cost of photos and videos can range from Rs 15 lakhs to Rs 50 lakhs or more. High-end photographers and videographers, multiple days of coverage, elaborate setups and detailed editing significantly contribute to these costs,” said Farvi Wadhwa, a celebrity shoot coordinator and wedding sector expert.
“Now, a wedding videographer can say even though I was busy in three marriages, I will give you the videos on so and so date, and the guests who came can enjoy the memories at a time when it is fresh in their mind. And, it is infused with higher quality so that people can look better,” said Vishal Dhupar, Nvidia South Asia.
“This technology isn’t just for gamers; it also caters to creators and developers. Content creators, who once relied on costly workstations, now benefit from RTX studio workstations… This dynamic ecosystem features a thriving community of over 120 million creators. Together, we’re driving groundbreaking innovations that will redefine user experiences and elevate the industry to new heights,” he added.
The six Indian personal computer builders affiliated to Nvidia who are making these custom systems indigenously are The MVP, Ant PC, Vishal Peripherals, Hi Tech Computer Genesys Labs, XRig, and EliteHubs.
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