History of Nvidia in Timeline
Nvidia Corporation, headquartered in Santa Clara, California, is a leading American technology company specializing in graphics processing units (GPUs), data science APIs, and high-performance computing. They design and manufacture system on a chip units (SoCs) for mobile and automotive industries. Nvidia is a major provider of artificial intelligence (AI) hardware and software, playing a significant role in the advancement of AI technology.
April 5, 1993: Nvidia's Inception
Nvidia was founded on April 5, 1993, by Jensen Huang, Chris Malachowsky, and Curtis Priem. Their vision for the company was conceived during a meeting at a Denny's diner in East San Jose.
1993: Nvidia's Founding Vision and Early Funding
In 1993, Nvidia's founders recognized the potential of accelerated computing, particularly in graphics processing. They saw video games as a demanding computational challenge with high sales volume, which could fund research and development. Starting with $40,000, they secured $20 million in venture capital funding.
1996: Nvidia's Shift to Triangle Primitives
In 1996, after Microsoft introduced DirectX and its support for only triangle primitives, Nvidia had to make a strategic shift. They laid off over half of their workforce and focused resources on developing a graphics accelerator optimized for triangle primitives.
August 1997: Release of RIVA 128 and Investment from Sega
In August 1997, Nvidia released the RIVA 128, marking a turning point for the company. Despite facing financial difficulties and being down to about 40 employees, Sega's president at the time, Shoichiro Irimajiri, recognized Huang's potential and made a $5 million investment in Nvidia. The RIVA 128 sold about a million units in four months, providing much-needed revenue.
1998: Consolidation of Nvidia's Reputation
In 1998, Nvidia further solidified its position in the graphics adapter market with the release of the RIVA TNT, which further showcased their ability to develop high-performing products.
January 22, 1999: Nvidia Goes Public
Nvidia went public on January 22, 1999, marking a significant milestone in its growth.
1999: Introduction of the GeForce 256 GPU
In late 1999, Nvidia introduced the GeForce 256 (NV10), a product marketed as a GPU. It featured onboard transformation and lighting (T&L) for consumer-level 3D hardware. Its performance surpassed existing products, marking a leap in graphics processing capabilities.
December 2000: Nvidia's Agreement to Acquire 3dfx Assets
In December 2000, Nvidia reached an agreement to acquire the assets of 3dfx, a former rival and pioneer in 3D graphics technology.
2001: Nvidia Joins the S&P 500 Index
In 2001, Nvidia was selected by Standard & Poor's to replace Enron in the S&P 500 stock index, indicating its growing influence and importance in the financial market.
April 2002: Finalization of 3dfx Acquisition
The acquisition process of 3dfx by Nvidia was finalized in April 2002.
July 2002: Acquisition of Exluna
In July 2002, Nvidia acquired Exluna, a company specializing in software-rendering tools, for an undisclosed sum. Exluna's team was integrated into the Cg project.
August 2003: Acquisition of MediaQ
In August 2003, Nvidia acquired MediaQ, a provider of high-performance video processing technology, for approximately US$70 million.
April 22, 2004: Acquisition of iReady
On April 22, 2004, Nvidia further expanded its portfolio by acquiring iReady, a provider of high-performance TCP/IP and iSCSI offload solutions.
December 2004: Nvidia's Collaboration with Sony for PlayStation 3
In December 2004, Nvidia partnered with Sony to assist in designing the graphics processor (RSX) for the PlayStation 3 game console.
December 14, 2005: Acquisition of ULI Electronics
On December 14, 2005, Nvidia acquired ULI Electronics, a supplier of third-party southbridge parts for chipsets, strengthening its position in the chipset market.
March 2006: Acquisition of Hybrid Graphics
Nvidia's acquisition spree continued in March 2006 with the acquisition of Hybrid Graphics, a company specializing in graphics technology.
December 2006: Antitrust Investigations into Nvidia and AMD
In December 2006, Nvidia and AMD, its main competitor, faced scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice, receiving subpoenas regarding potential antitrust violations in the graphics card industry.
January 5, 2007: Acquisition of PortalPlayer
On January 5, 2007, Nvidia acquired PortalPlayer, Inc., a company known for its expertise in multimedia and portable device technology.
February 2008: Acquisition of Ageia and PhysX Technology
In February 2008, Nvidia acquired Ageia, the developer of PhysX, a physics engine and physics processing unit. Nvidia planned to integrate PhysX technology into its future GPU products.
July 2008: Write-Down Due to Defective Chipsets
In July 2008, Nvidia faced a setback when it had to write down approximately $200 million from its first-quarter revenue due to abnormal failure rates in some of its mobile chipsets and GPUs. The specific affected products were not disclosed.
September 2008: Class Action Lawsuit over Defective GPUs
Nvidia faced a class action lawsuit in September 2008 over the faulty GPUs, which had been used in laptops manufactured by companies like Apple, Dell, and HP.
2009: Nvidia GPUs Propel the "Big Bang" of Deep Learning
In 2009, Nvidia's GPUs played a crucial role in what was called the "big bang" of deep learning, where their GPUs combined with deep-learning neural networks significantly increased the speed of deep-learning systems.
2009: Nvidia launches GPU Technology Conference
Nvidia held its first GPU Technology Conference (GTC) in San Jose, California, in 2009, focusing on the potential of GPUs to address computing challenges.
September 2010: Settlement Reached in Defective GPU Lawsuit
In September 2010, Nvidia reached a settlement in the class action lawsuit, agreeing to reimburse owners of laptops affected by the faulty GPUs for repairs or replacements.
January 10, 2011: Cross-Licensing Agreement with Intel
On January 10, 2011, Nvidia signed a significant six-year cross-licensing agreement with Intel, worth $1.5 billion, putting an end to all litigation between the two companies.
May 2011: Nvidia Acquires Icera
In May 2011, Nvidia acquired Icera, a UK-based company specializing in baseband chips, for $367 million.
November 2011: Nvidia Releases Tegra 3 System-on-a-Chip
In November 2011, Nvidia launched the Tegra 3 ARM system-on-a-chip for mobile devices, featuring what they claimed was the first quad-core mobile CPU.
2012: Linus Torvalds Criticizes Nvidia's Linux Support
In 2012, Linus Torvalds publicly criticized Nvidia for their lack of support for open-source drivers on Linux, highlighting the frustration within the free-software community.
2012: Legacy Mac Pro Machines and macOS Mojave Compatibility Issues
The controversy centered around legacy Mac Pro machines released up to mid-2012 running macOS Mojave, which required Nvidia web drivers to enable graphics acceleration and multiple display monitor capabilities.
January 2013: Nvidia Unveils Tegra 4 and Nvidia Shield
Nvidia introduced the Tegra 4 system-on-a-chip and the Nvidia Shield, an Android-based handheld gaming console powered by Tegra 4, in January 2013.
February 2013: Nvidia Announces Plans for New Headquarters
In February 2013, Nvidia announced plans to construct a new headquarters consisting of two triangle-shaped buildings, chosen for their significance as a fundamental building block of computer graphics.
July 29, 2013: Nvidia Acquires PGI from STMicroelectronics
On July 29, 2013, Nvidia acquired PGI, a compiler technology company, from STMicroelectronics.
September 23, 2013: Nvidia publishes documentation for advanced hardware
On September 23, 2013, Nvidia published documentation for its advanced hardware for the first time, enabling programmers to develop free and open-source drivers without needing to reverse engineer the products.
2014: Nvidia Introduces Firmware Requirements for Maxwell GPUs
In 2014, Nvidia began requiring its own firmware to unlock all the features of its Maxwell GPUs, marking a shift towards more proprietary control over its hardware.
2014: Nvidia Expands Business Focus
In 2014, Nvidia ported the games Portal and Half-Life 2 to its Nvidia Shield tablet. This marked a shift in Nvidia's business strategy, as the company began focusing on three key markets: gaming, automotive electronics, and mobile devices.
February 2015: Nvidia Faces Class-Action Lawsuit over GTX 970 Advertising
In February 2015, Nvidia and Gigabyte Technology were hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging false advertising related to the GTX 970 graphics card, stemming from discrepancies between advertised and actual specifications.
February 26, 2015: Nvidia CEO Apologizes for GTX 970 Controversy
On February 26, 2015, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang issued a public apology regarding the GTX 970 graphics card controversy, addressing the miscommunication about its specifications and performance.
April 2016: Nvidia Releases DGX-1 for Deep Learning
In April 2016, Nvidia unveiled the DGX-1, an 8-GPU cluster designed to advance deep learning by integrating powerful GPUs with specialized software.
May 6, 2016: Nvidia Unveils GeForce 10 Series GPUs
On May 6, 2016, Nvidia introduced the GeForce 10 series GPUs, including the GTX 1080 and 1070, built upon the Pascal microarchitecture, offering significant performance improvements over the previous Maxwell-based Titan X model.
July 2016: Nvidia Settles GTX 970 False Advertising Lawsuit
In July 2016, Nvidia settled a lawsuit concerning false advertising of its GTX 970 model, which was unable to utilize its full 4GB of RAM as advertised due to hardware limitations.
July 27, 2016: Nvidia Settles GTX 970 Class-Action Lawsuit
On July 27, 2016, Nvidia agreed to a preliminary settlement in the GTX 970 class-action lawsuit, offering a $30 refund to affected customers who purchased the card.
August 2016: Nvidia Gifts DGX-1 to OpenAI
In August 2016, Nvidia donated its first DGX-1 system to OpenAI to support their research in training advanced AI models, demonstrating their commitment to advancing the field.
November 2016: Nvidia GPUs Power Cloud Computing Services
In November 2016, Google and Microsoft integrated Nvidia's Tesla K80 GPUs into their cloud computing platforms, making high-performance computing more accessible.
May 2017: Nvidia Partners with Toyota for Autonomous Vehicles
In May 2017, Nvidia partnered with Toyota to implement Nvidia's Drive PX artificial intelligence platform in Toyota's autonomous vehicles.
May 2017: Nvidia's Inception Program Reaches 1,300 Companies
In May 2017, Nvidia's Inception program, designed to support AI startups, reached a milestone of 1,300 participating companies, reflecting their dedication to fostering innovation.
July 2017: Nvidia and Baidu Announce AI Partnership
July 2017 saw Nvidia and Chinese search giant Baidu enter into a comprehensive AI partnership encompassing cloud computing, autonomous driving, consumer devices, and Baidu's open-source AI framework PaddlePaddle.
December 7, 2017: Nvidia Releases Titan V GPU
Nvidia officially released the Titan V GPU on December 7, 2017.
2017: Nvidia's Deep Learning Technology Boosts Earnings
In 2017, Nvidia's advancements in deep learning technology contributed to a significant boost in their earnings, reflecting the growing importance of AI.
2017: Nvidia Introduces "Max-Q" Design Standard
In late 2017, Nvidia introduced the "Max-Q" design standard for thin and light laptops incorporating its high-performance GPUs, requiring them to be under 0.8 inches (20 mm) thick.
March 1, 2018: Nvidia Announces GeForce Partner Program
Nvidia announced the GeForce Partner Program on March 1, 2018.
March 2018: Nvidia's Inception Program Grows to 2,800 Startups
By March 2018, Nvidia's Inception Program saw significant growth, reaching 2,800 participating startups, highlighting the program's success in nurturing AI ventures.
March 27, 2018: Nvidia Releases Nvidia Quadro GV100
Nvidia officially released the Nvidia Quadro GV100 GPU on March 27, 2018.
May 4, 2018: Nvidia Cancels GeForce Partner Program
Nvidia canceled the GeForce Partner Program on May 4, 2018.
May 2018: Nvidia Web Driver Controversy Begins
In May 2018, Nvidia users initiated a discussion on the company's forum, requesting an update on the release of web drivers for Nvidia cards on legacy Mac Pro machines running macOS Mojave. This marked the start of a controversy regarding the lack of Nvidia web driver support for macOS Mojave.
May 2018: Nvidia Researchers Explore Robot Learning Through Observation
In May 2018, Nvidia's AI research team made progress in enabling robots to learn tasks by observing human demonstrations, opening new possibilities for robotics and automation.
September 27, 2018: Nvidia Releases RTX 2080 GPUs
Nvidia officially released the RTX 2080 GPUs on September 27, 2018.
2018: GTC 2018 attracts over 8,400 attendees
Nvidia's GTC in 2018 drew over 8,400 attendees, reflecting the growing interest in GPU technology and its applications.
2018: Nvidia Chips Gain Popularity for Cryptomining
In 2018, Nvidia's chips became increasingly popular for cryptomining, contributing significantly to their revenue growth, although this wasn't fully disclosed to investors initially.
January 2019: Apple Insider Reports on Nvidia Support Abandonment
By January 2019, with no web drivers available, Apple Insider reported that Apple management was not keen on Nvidia support in macOS, further fueling the controversy.
March 11, 2019: Nvidia Acquires Mellanox Technologies
On March 11, 2019, Nvidia finalized a deal to acquire Mellanox Technologies for $6.9 billion, significantly expanding its presence in the high-performance computing market.
May 2019: Nvidia Announces RTX Studio Laptops
Nvidia announced its RTX Studio laptops in May 2019, boasting performance seven times faster than a high-end MacBook Pro with a Core i9 and AMD's Radeon Pro Vega 20 graphics in applications like Maya and RedCine-X Pro.
August 2019: Nvidia Unveils Minecraft RTX
Nvidia announced Minecraft RTX in August 2019, an official patch introducing real-time DXR ray tracing exclusively to the Windows 10 version of Minecraft, significantly enhancing the game's visuals.
2019: Tesla Ends Partnership with Nvidia for Self-Driving Vehicles
In 2019, Elon Musk announced Tesla's decision to stop using Nvidia hardware for their self-driving vehicles, opting instead for their own in-house developed SoC and full self-driving computer.
May 14, 2020: Nvidia Announces Ampere GPU Microarchitecture and A100 Accelerator
On May 14, 2020, Nvidia officially announced its Ampere GPU microarchitecture and the Nvidia A100 GPU accelerator.
May 2020: Nvidia Develops Open-Source Ventilator
In May 2020, Nvidia developed an open-source ventilator design to address the shortage caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.
May 2020: Nvidia Acquires Cumulus Networks
In May 2020, Nvidia acquired Cumulus Networks, integrating the company into its networking business unit alongside Mellanox.
July 2020: Nvidia Enters Talks to Acquire Arm
Reports emerged in July 2020 that Nvidia was in discussions to acquire Arm, a UK-based chip designer, for $32 billion from SoftBank.
September 1, 2020: Nvidia Announces GeForce 30 Series
Nvidia officially unveiled the GeForce 30 series GPUs based on the Ampere microarchitecture on September 1, 2020.
September 13, 2020: Nvidia to Acquire Arm for $40 Billion
On September 13, 2020, Nvidia announced its intention to acquire Arm from SoftBank Group for $40 billion, pending regulatory approvals, with SoftBank retaining a 10% stake in Nvidia.
September 2020: Nvidia's Bid to Acquire Arm
In September 2020, Nvidia made a bid to acquire Arm from Softbank, a move that would have resulted in the largest semiconductor acquisition.
October 2020: Nvidia Plans to Build Powerful Computer in Cambridge
In October 2020, Nvidia revealed its plans to build the Cambridge-1 supercomputer in Cambridge, England, dedicated to supporting healthcare research using AI.
October 2020: Nvidia Retires Quadro Brand, Shifts to RTX
October 2020 witnessed the retirement of Nvidia's Quadro workstation GPU brand, as the company announced a shift to the Nvidia RTX brand for future products based on the Ampere architecture.
December 10, 2020: Nvidia Bans Hardware Unboxed from Receiving Review Samples
On December 10, 2020, Nvidia decided to stop providing Hardware Unboxed, a popular YouTube tech reviewer, with GeForce Founders Edition graphics card review units due to their focus on rasterization instead of ray tracing.
2020: GTC 2020 shifts to digital format
In 2020, Nvidia's GTC transitioned to a fully digital event due to the global pandemic, attracting approximately 59,000 registered participants.
July 2021: Cambridge-1 Supercomputer Launched
Nvidia's Cambridge-1 supercomputer launched in July 2021 with a $100 million investment, aiming to accelerate healthcare research through artificial intelligence.
August 2021: Nvidia's Inception Program Surpasses 8,500 Members
By August 2021, Nvidia's Inception program achieved significant expansion, exceeding 8,500 members across 90 countries and accumulating US$60 billion in funding.
August 2021: UK CMA raises concerns over Nvidia's acquisition of Arm
In August 2021, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expressed concerns about the potential impact on competition should Nvidia acquire Arm Holdings.
October 2021: European Commission investigates Nvidia's Arm acquisition
In October 2021, the European Commission opened a formal investigation into Nvidia's proposed acquisition of Arm, due to concerns over potential anti-competitive practices and data access arising from the merger.
February 2022: Nvidia and Softbank officially end Arm acquisition bid
In February 2022, Nvidia and Softbank announced their decision to abandon the planned acquisition of Arm Holdings, citing significant regulatory obstacles.
February 2022: Nvidia's Acquisition of Arm Terminated
After facing prolonged regulatory scrutiny, Nvidia's proposed acquisition of Arm was terminated in February 2022.
March 2022: Nvidia open to Intel chip manufacturing
In March 2022, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang indicated a willingness to explore the possibility of having Intel manufacture Nvidia chips, marking a potential shift in their manufacturing strategy.
March 15, 2022: Nvidia and Softbank withdraw Arm acquisition bid and Nvidia suffers cyberattack
On March 15, 2022, after facing regulatory challenges from multiple international bodies, Nvidia and Softbank withdrew their bid to acquire Arm Holdings. Also on this day, Nvidia was reportedly subject to a cyberattack.
April 2022: Nvidia plans research center in Armenia
In April 2022, reports surfaced that Nvidia planned to open a research center in Yerevan, Armenia, as part of its global expansion.
May 2022: Nvidia Settles SEC Charges for Misleading Investors about Cryptomining Revenue
In May 2022, Nvidia agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle charges by the SEC for failing to disclose the significant impact of cryptomining on its revenue growth from gaming chips, which misled investors.
May 2022: Nvidia opens Voyager building at new headquarters
In May 2022, Nvidia inaugurated "Voyager", the second major building at its new headquarters complex, complementing the existing "Endeavor" building.
May 2022: Nvidia Opensources GPU Kernel Modules
In May 2022, Nvidia made a significant move by announcing the opensourcing of its GPU kernel modules, addressing the long-standing criticism from the open-source community.
September 2022: Nvidia unveils Drive Thor automotive chip
In September 2022, Nvidia announced "Drive Thor", its next-generation chip designed specifically for automotive applications.
October 2022: Nvidia impacted by US export controls and unveils A800 GPU for China
In October 2022, Nvidia's data center chips were added to the US export control list, restricting exports to China. The following month, Nvidia introduced the A800 GPU, specifically designed to comply with these new export restrictions for the Chinese market.
September 2023: Nvidia and Getty Images Partner on Generative AI
In September 2023, Getty Images and Nvidia joined forces to launch "Generative AI by Getty Images", a tool that allows users to generate images using Getty's licensed photo library, powered by Nvidia's Edify model.
September 26, 2023: Nvidia Celebrates Founding and High Demand for H100 GPUs
On September 26, 2023, Nvidia commemorated its founding at a Denny's location in East San Jose, marking the "birthplace" of the company. This event highlighted the exceptional demand for Nvidia's H100 GPUs, with tech leaders like Larry Ellison and Elon Musk seeking access to the sought-after hardware.
October 2023: Nvidia Designs ARM-based CPUs for Windows
In October 2023, reports emerged that Nvidia had initiated the design of ARM-based CPUs specifically for Microsoft's Windows operating system, with an anticipated release date of 2025.
2023: Nvidia Firmware Support in Nouveau
In 2023, the open-source driver Nouveau implemented support for Nvidia's firmware, enabling improved power management and GPU reclocking for Turing and newer graphics cards.
2023: Half of Nvidia's employees earn over $228,000
In 2023, half of Nvidia's workforce earned an annual salary exceeding $228,000, reflecting the company's competitive compensation practices.
2023: Nvidia's Market Dominance in 2023
In 2023, Nvidia held a commanding 80.2% market share in the discrete desktop GPU market, demonstrating its stronghold in the consumer market with its GeForce line of GPUs, and in edge-to-cloud computing with its professional line of GPUs.
2023: Nvidia spends $350,000 on lobbying
In 2023, Nvidia allocated $350,000 towards lobbying efforts, a relatively small amount compared to other leading tech companies involved in artificial intelligence.
2023: Nvidia Achieves $1 Trillion Valuation
In 2023, Nvidia achieved a significant milestone by becoming the seventh public U.S. company to reach a valuation exceeding $1 trillion.
January 2024: Nvidia Increases Lobbying Efforts amid AI Regulations
In January 2024, Forbes reported Nvidia's increased lobbying activities in Washington, D.C., as US lawmakers consider potential regulations for artificial intelligence. Nvidia hired additional government affairs professionals amidst a relatively modest lobbying budget compared to other major tech companies in the AI sector.
February 2024: Nvidia emerges as desirable employer and samples new AI chips for China
In February 2024, Nvidia was recognized as a sought-after employer in Silicon Valley due to its attractive work environment and competitive compensation, amidst a period of downsizing among other tech companies. This month, Nvidia also began sampling two new AI chips specifically for the Chinese market.
March 1, 2024: Nvidia surpasses $2 Trillion market cap
On March 1, 2024, Nvidia achieved a market capitalization exceeding $2 trillion, becoming only the third company in US history to reach this milestone. Nvidia's ascent to $2 trillion from $1 trillion took only 180 days, considerably faster than Apple and Microsoft, which each took over 500 days.
March 8, 2024: Nvidia reaches record market cap of $2.38 trillion
On March 8, 2024, Nvidia reached its highest recorded market capitalization, reaching $2.38 trillion. This put it just behind Apple and Microsoft in terms of market value.
March 2024: Nvidia's Position as a Leading Publicly Traded Company
As of March 2024, Nvidia holds the position of the third most valuable publicly traded company in the United States, trailing only Microsoft and Apple, boasting a market capitalization of $2.3 trillion.
March 2024: Nvidia's GTC returns to in-person format
In March 2024, Nvidia's GPU Technology Conference (GTC) returned to an in-person format in San Jose, California, after several years of being held exclusively online.
April 2024: China acquires banned Nvidia chips via tenders
In April 2024, it was revealed that China had acquired banned Nvidia chips and servers through tenders involving companies like Super Micro and Dell, despite US export controls.
2024: Jensen Huang's Continued Leadership
As of 2024, Jensen Huang continues to serve as the CEO of Nvidia.
2025: Projected release of Nvidia's ARM-based CPUs for Windows
Nvidia's ARM-based CPUs for Windows are projected to be released in 2025, potentially marking a significant development in the CPU market.
2080: Google Integrates Nvidia Tesla P4 GPUs into Google Cloud AI
In 2080, Google announced the integration of Nvidia's Tesla P4 graphic cards into its Google Cloud artificial intelligence service.