As the tech world’s dominant supplier of artificial intelligence chips, Nvidia is awash in cash and stock gains. It’s a position that could be tested as rival Advanced Micro Devices seeks to dent Nvidia’s dominance.
On Monday, Nvidia will offer developers a peek at its latest AI chip, which it is pitching as the first to bring real-time machine learning and deep neural networks to PCs and workstations. The chip is designed for software developers who create applications for everything from 3D video games to self-driving cars.
Nvidia’s GPUs have become a key technology behind the rise of AI and the growing ubiquity of cloud-based applications. Unlike processors, which run a computer’s programs and are designed to be fast and efficient, GPUs are meant for parallel computing and can handle many tasks simultaneously.
NVIDIA, which is based in Palo Alto, California, was founded in 1993 by three American computer scientists: Jen-Hsun “Jensen” Huang, an early employee of LSI Logic and microprocessor designer at AMD; Chris Malachowsky, who had held engineering and technical leadership positions at HP and Sun Microsystems; and Curtis Priem, who worked as a graphics chip designer for Hewlett-Packard and Sun. The company’s initial products were high-end graphics processing units that allowed computer gamers to experience realistic images and faster performance than previous technology could offer.
Over the years, Nvidia branched out into designing chips for other types of computing, including data centers and autonomous vehicles. Today, Nvidia’s revenues from its AI products account for more than 70 percent of the company’s total sales.
A big part of that success has come from Nvidia’s relentless focus on improving its products and embracing new uses for its technology. That includes a push into the medical field, where Nvidia’s BioNeMo platform can help speed up drug discovery by accelerating simulations of molecular models.
Nvidia’s meteoric rise has also been fueled by Huang’s shrewd business sense and technical know-how. His humble beginnings and steadfast dedication to his work have helped him build Nvidia into one of the most successful companies in the world. He’s also poured much of his wealth back into the community, giving away millions to educational institutions and projects that promote technology and science. Despite his immense fortune, Huang remains a down-to-earth and approachable person. His humble demeanor is reflected in how he runs the company, where he tries to keep a flat hierarchy and lends a helping hand when he can.
