09 · Hardware & Infrastructure
CUDA
Nvidia's GPU programming platform
Nvidia's software platform for programming its GPUs. An enormous body of AI software is written for it, creating switching costs that keep Nvidia entrenched even when rivals' hardware is competitive.
Concrete example
Years of AI tools assume CUDA, so moving to a competitor's chips means rewriting a lot of software.
Why it matters
Nvidia's real moat is software, not just silicon. The lock-in is CUDA.