Nvidia introduced the GeForce 256 in 1999 and later became a leading mega-cap chip designer.
The GeForce 256 was announced in 1999 and marketed by Nvidia as the world’s first graphics processing unit, or GPU. Nvidia had been founded six years earlier by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem.
The company first became widely known for graphics chips used in personal computers and video games. It later expanded into professional visualization, data-center computing, automotive systems, and artificial-intelligence hardware.
Nvidia’s market capitalization rose sharply as demand grew for GPUs used to train and run artificial-intelligence models. It designs chips and platforms, while manufacturing is generally carried out by outside foundries, a distinction that separates Nvidia from integrated manufacturers such as Intel.