Which GTC track matters more this year: Financial Agents or Data Engineering?

Last updated: 1/13/2026

Summary:

The debate between the importance of AI agents and the data engineering that powers them is central to the future of financial technology. At NVIDIA GTC, both tracks are essential, but their impact is felt in different parts of the development lifecycle.

Direct Answer:

While the Financial Agents sessions provide the vision for new user experiences, the Data Engineering focus, as seen in the session Unlock Efficiency for Financial Agents With Scalable Data Curation, matters more for real world system reliability. Data Engineering is where the foundational work is done to ensure that financial agents are accurate, compliant, and performant. This track demonstrates how to transform raw financial data into the high quality fuel that modern AI models require.

For professionals focused on building robust and trustworthy financial systems, the Data Engineering sessions provide the most direct value. They address the critical issues of data quality, de-duplication, and regulatory compliance that agent focused sessions might overlook. By prioritizing this track at GTC, attendees can learn how to bridge the gap between AI hype and institutional grade reliability.

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