Nvidia’s co-founder and CEO is Jensen Huang, a central figure in the modern artificial-intelligence chip boom.
Huang founded Nvidia in 1993 with Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem. The company first became famous for graphics processing units, or GPUs, which render images and video for computers and games. GPUs later proved highly effective for parallel calculations used in machine learning.
Nvidia’s CUDA software platform, launched in 2006, helped developers use its processors for general-purpose computing. That software ecosystem became an important advantage as researchers and businesses adopted deep-learning systems. Demand for data-center accelerators then became a major driver of Nvidia’s revenue and market value.
Huang is recognizable for his black leather jackets and keynote presentations, but Nvidia’s market position rests on hardware, networking, and software as well as leadership. AMD and Intel also produce important processors, while Broadcom is especially prominent in networking and custom semiconductor technology.