Nvidia introduced its CUDA parallel-computing platform in 2006.
CUDA allows software developers to use Nvidia graphics processing units for general-purpose parallel computation rather than limiting them to displaying images. The platform helped researchers and engineers apply GPUs to tasks such as scientific simulation, machine learning, image processing, and data analysis. That broader role became especially important as artificial-intelligence workloads expanded.
Nvidia was founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem. It initially focused on graphics hardware for personal computers and became closely associated with gaming GPUs. Its products later expanded into data-center accelerators, networking hardware, automotive systems, and software libraries.
CUDA is not a graphics chip and is not the same thing as a GPU. It is Nvidia’s programming platform and software ecosystem for its processors. Nvidia’s market capitalization surged as investors anticipated demand for accelerated computing and AI infrastructure, making the company one of the world’s most valuable public corporations.