How Nvidia’s Chief Scientist Built a $400 Open‑Source Ventilator to Fight COVID‑19

During the COVID‑19 pandemic, computer pioneer Bill Dally, Nvidia’s chief scientist, announced an open‑source, low‑cost mechanical ventilator design.

The device was developed in just a few weeks, costing roughly $400 and using readily available electronic components, making rapid manufacturing feasible.

Traditional ventilators can exceed $20,000, so Dally’s solution offers a dramatically cheaper alternative.

Dally, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, former MIT and Stanford professor, and a leading figure in AI, computer vision, autonomous driving, robotics, and graphics, leads a team of over 200 scientists at Nvidia.

He aimed to create the simplest version of a ventilator, consisting mainly of a proportional solenoid valve and a microcontroller that regulates gas flow to the patient.

Prompted by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s call for pandemic‑related research, Dally contacted experts in autonomous driving, robotics, medicine, and medical device manufacturing, including former students and Stanford faculty.

After ordering a proportional valve and repurposing a microcontroller from his home wine‑cellar temperature system, Dally wrote thousands of lines of code and built a prototype using standard pipe fittings.

By April 4, he demonstrated the working prototype to Nvidia staff, receiving enthusiastic support from Huang.

The ventilator can be assembled in about five minutes, fits in a standard suitcase, and includes a simple display, precise flow, pressure, and volume control, and sensor‑based alarms.

Testing on a sophisticated lung simulator showed the device performed as expected under normal and COVID‑19‑related lung conditions.

Dally is now working on FDA emergency‑use authorization documentation to enable mass production for frontline healthcare workers.

Reference: Nvidia Blog