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NVIDIA
NVIDIA is a leading technology company founded by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem in 1993. Initially focused on graphics processing units (GPUs) for gaming, NVIDIA revolutionized the industry by introducing the first GPU, the GeForce 256, in 1999. This innovation set the standard for modern graphics rendering and established NVIDIA as a dominant player in the gaming and visual computing markets. Over the years, the company has diversified into high-performance computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and data center technologies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia
One of NVIDIA's landmark achievements is the development of the CUDA parallel computing platform and programming model, introduced in 2006. CUDA enables developers to leverage GPUs for general-purpose computing tasks, significantly accelerating applications in fields like scientific research, machine learning, and simulation. This ecosystem has made NVIDIA GPUs a preferred choice in industries requiring massive computational power. The platform’s flexibility and performance have led to widespread adoption in academic and industrial research.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CUDA
In the field of artificial intelligence, NVIDIA has become a pivotal player by providing GPUs optimized for deep learning workloads. The introduction of the Tesla series in 2007, later rebranded as NVIDIA Data Center GPUs, marked the company’s entry into the enterprise and AI markets. Products like the A100 Tensor Core GPU, released in 2020, are used in AI model training, inference, and high-performance data analytics, powering applications such as autonomous vehicles, healthcare diagnostics, and recommendation systems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_Tesla
NVIDIA has also been instrumental in the development of autonomous vehicle technologies. Through its NVIDIA DRIVE platform, the company offers a comprehensive suite of tools for building and deploying self-driving systems. This platform integrates hardware, software, and simulation capabilities, enabling automakers and researchers to accelerate the development of autonomous systems. Companies like Mercedes-Benz and Toyota have partnered with NVIDIA to incorporate these solutions into their autonomous vehicle projects.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_Drive
In gaming, NVIDIA continues to innovate with its GeForce lineup and RTX technology, introduced in 2018. RTX brought real-time ray tracing to consumer GPUs, enhancing graphical realism in games. Coupled with DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), RTX GPUs improve performance while maintaining visual fidelity. This combination has set a new benchmark for gaming experiences, making NVIDIA GPUs a staple among enthusiasts and professionals alike.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_GeForce
Beyond hardware, NVIDIA is also a leader in software solutions for creative industries. Its Omniverse platform, introduced in 2020, enables collaborative 3D content creation and simulation. Built on open standards like USD (Universal Scene Description), Omniverse allows artists and developers to work seamlessly across different tools and workflows, fostering innovation in areas like film production, architectural visualization, and game design.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nvidia_Omniverse
As NVIDIA continues to expand its reach, its influence on AI, cloud computing, and data centers grows. With strategic acquisitions like Mellanox in 2020, the company has strengthened its position in the networking and high-performance computing markets. NVIDIA's commitment to innovation and its ecosystem of hardware and software solutions have made it a cornerstone of technological advancement in the 21st century.
NVIDIA Consumer Grade GPUs (2019–2024)
In September 2020, NVIDIA introduced the GeForce RTX 3090, a flagship GPU based on the Ampere architecture. It featured 10,496 CUDA cores, a base clock of 1.4 GHz, and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit interface, delivering a memory bandwidth of 936.2 GB/s. The card had a TDP of 350W and was priced at $1,499 at launch.
On October 12, 2022, NVIDIA released the GeForce RTX 4090, the first in the 40 series lineup, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture. It boasted 16,384 CUDA cores, a base clock of 2.23 GHz, and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, achieving a memory bandwidth of 1,018 GB/s. The TDP was set at 450W, with a launch price of $1,599.
The GeForce RTX 4070 Ti was launched on January 3, 2023, featuring 7,680 CUDA cores, a base clock of 2.31 GHz, and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit interface, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. It had a TDP of 285W and was priced at $799.
On January 17, 2024, NVIDIA introduced the GeForce RTX 4070 Super, which combined both 'Super' and 'Ti' branding. This model featured enhanced specifications over the standard 4070, including increased core counts and higher clock speeds, aiming to provide better performance at a competitive price point.
Following this, on January 24, 2024, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super was released, offering further improvements in performance and efficiency over its predecessors. This card targeted enthusiasts seeking high-end performance without reaching the premium pricing of the top-tier models.
As of October 2024, the GeForce RTX 4090 was officially discontinued after a two-year production run. This decision was made to allocate production capacity for the upcoming RTX 50 series, marking the end of an era for one of NVIDIA's most powerful consumer-grade GPUs.
Throughout these years, NVIDIA has consistently pushed the boundaries of GPU performance and innovation, catering to a wide range of consumers from casual gamers to professional content creators, solidifying its position as a leader in the graphics industry.
- Snippet from Wikipedia: Nvidia
Nvidia Corporation ( en-VID-ee-ə) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem, it is a company which designs and supplies graphics processing units (GPUs), application programming interfaces (APIs) for data science and high-performance computing, and system on a chip units (SoCs) for mobile computing and the automotive market. Nvidia is also a leading supplier of artificial intelligence (AI) hardware and software. Nvidia outsources the manufacturing of the hardware it designs.
Nvidia's professional line of GPUs are used for edge-to-cloud computing and in supercomputers and workstations for applications in fields such as architecture, engineering and construction, media and entertainment, automotive, scientific research, and manufacturing design. Its GeForce line of GPUs are aimed at the consumer market and are used in applications such as video editing, 3D rendering, and PC gaming. With a market share of 80.2% in the second quarter of 2023, Nvidia leads global sales of discrete desktop GPUs by a wide margin. The company expanded its presence in the gaming industry with the introduction of the Shield Portable (a handheld game console), Shield Tablet (a gaming tablet), and Shield TV (a digital media player), as well as its cloud gaming service GeForce Now.
In addition to GPU design and outsourcing manufacturing, Nvidia provides the CUDA software platform and API that allows the creation of massively parallel programs which utilize GPUs. They are deployed in supercomputing sites around the world. In the late 2000s, Nvidia had moved into the mobile computing market, where it produced Tegra mobile processors for smartphones and tablets and vehicle navigation and entertainment systems. Its competitors include AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, and AI accelerator companies such as Cerebras and Graphcore. It also makes AI-powered software for audio and video processing (e.g., Nvidia Maxine).
Nvidia's attempt to acquire Arm from SoftBank in September 2020 failed to materialize following extended regulatory scrutiny, leading to the termination of the deal in February 2022 in what would have been the largest semiconductor acquisition. In 2023, Nvidia became the seventh public U.S. company to be valued at over $1 trillion, and the company's valuation has increased rapidly since then amid growing demand for data center chips with AI capabilities in the midst of the AI boom. In June 2024, for one day, Nvidia overtook Microsoft as the world's most valuable publicly traded company, with a market capitalization of over $3.3 trillion.