In the 1980s, coding in C and C++ was widely regarded as the best practice because it allowed programmers to work as close to the Unix layer as possible. This made sense at a time when Unix was the dominant operating system for large-scale computing. However, the industry soon shifted towards open platforms, and Unix's popularity waned. It became a common standard that companies selling both hardware and software would be automatically disqualified from large projects, as the market demanded open and interoperable systems. Then, Apple emerged with a different strategy, building a tightly controlled ecosystem around their hardware, operating system, and App Store. This fiercely closed approach did not hinder their success; in fact, Apple quickly became the most valuable company in the world. Throughout these shifts, it was an accepted norm that chips were commodities—interchangeable and undifferentiated components. This perception held until Nvidia disrupted the market. Nvidia not only produced the best chips but also developed a comprehensive set of libraries and software to support them, effectively creating an integrated ecosystem similar to Apple's, but in the realm of hardware and artificial intelligence. As Marc Andreessen famously said, "Software is eating the world." Nvidia : "Hold my beer."
Elvis Nica
2w
C/C++ was so powerful because it allowed engineers to sit directly above ASM and Hardware while developing 100x faster the code. It still does. But now, the complexity of the (OSI) software is so high, that the hardware itself is not even in the picture. Most people don't understand the entire project. Only subsections of it. We need to return to a holistic understanding of software/digital devices, and for this we either need to return to studying the theoretical concepts even harder or use an AI Companion for developing Software (and hardware/analog devices + phisics alike). So, I think that very soon developing software will come with a Companion that will add comments in real time on what we do and wil observe or even explain things we might have missed, or even add pieces of code instantly in our projects. So AI is important, but its added value is not yet realized. The real value of AI is when is working/learning alongside a human. That's when AI will truly change the wotld.
If you are the hardware manufacturer, it makes absolute sense to write your own software because no one else knows your hardware better than you. But in the wider industry, where you write code to run on a wide range of platforms. Architects really need to think about their choice of frameworks and coding languages. Tomorrow the focus is going to shit to how frugal your code is when it comes to utilising hardware. And how you can remove all those frameworks that made coding easy and make your code run faster on bare metal.
Nvidia designs a special kind of programmable computer chip. For decades, Intel and Advanced Micro Devices had dominated the U.S. chip sector. But those companies specialized in producing CPUs — central processing units, which serve as the foundation for basic computing and software processes. Nvidia, meanwhile, specialized in graphics processing units (GPUs). As their name suggests, GPUs are better able to render images, which meant that they were first associated with video and computer games. The Beer was meant for a Order change, indeed !
Actually NVidia is doing so even in the field of security with specialized chips that support Confidential Computing. Of course Intel AMD and ARM are also there in the play but IMHO the trend is now again shifting to what was observed before the 4004 microprocessor from Intel .. specialized hardware driving innovations in software
If you measure success only using the value of the company, yeah. If you measure it by user base, easy to work with (as an ecosystem) or easy to partner with maybe not. I bet regulators at the EU and especially Tim Sweeney havent found working with them a breeze. And for the NVIDIA side of the story, just ask EVGA how that went or HPE how thats going
True that.. Today we have the Top 2 companies of the world with a Hardware first focus and creating ancillary Software and Services around it.. Really wish more and more startups attempting Hardware first products are supported and nurtured.. ✌🏻
First of all congratulations to you Amrish Rau for taking Pine Labs to the IPO level in just 5 years of your leadership role. I must say and respect what rises to the top with both vertical and horizontal growth with remain at the top for very very long time but what rises to the top with just vertical growth will have equally steep fall and we all have witnessed similar stories in the past
Great recap! From Unix dominance and coding in C/C++ to open platforms, then Apple's walled garden, now Nvidia's all-encompassing ecosystem. Who knew chips weren't just interchangeable anymore? Looks like Marc Andreessen's "Software is eating the world" missed a spot—Nvidia's hardware banquet. #TechTrends #Innovation #Nvidia #Apple #Unix
Subrat S.
3w
Change is constant. Whether technology, business or any other industry, what's on top today may not be tomorrow. Stay flexible and be ready to embrace new ways of doing things. We need to adapt to nature's dynamism.
Chief Technology Officer, Karmayogi Bharat, e-HRMS 2.0, DoPT, Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions, Govt. of India
3wApple's success with a closed ecosystem and Nvidia's innovative chip integration demonstrate that both open and closed strategies can drive industry transformation and market leadership. Understanding the market and being agile in meeting demands are key. Researching and adopting evolving technology to create robust, scalable, and impactful products is essential.