Samsung, ASML, TSMC, AMD, Nvidia, Intel, and Cisco (SATANIC). These seven companies are responsible for the hardware that made the AI boom possible, as well as this guide. Edit: Okay, so i'll provide a little of my own thoughts on the matter: Samsung: While they are mostly known for their Android smartphones, they are also the largest supplier and manufacturer of cutting-edge computer memory like RAM and SSD storage, of which competitors like Apple rely on for their own memory. ASML: Company based in the Netherlands that produces the photolithography machines that are critical in imprinting the actual chip design onto the silicon wafer. They have a monopoly on the most advanced processes used in this space, and without them, the next company on the list would not be able to manufacture their chips at the level of quality that they do now. TSMC: Taiwanese fabricator of the most advanced 3 nm/2 nm silicon chips, of which they pretty much have a monopoly over. Basically any consumer smartphone or computer chip of note from the last few years were manufactured by them. The other companies on the list are "fabless" in that they do not actually manufacture their own chips; they submit their designs to TSMC who then manufactures it for them. AMD: Competitor of Intel on the CPU front, and Nvidia when it comes to GPUs. They have arguably surpassed Intel on the CPU side, at least when it comes to metrics like performance. When it comes to market share they lag far behind Nvidia on GPUs and AI compute. The CEO is first cousins with the CEO for the next company on this list. Nvidia: Most valuable company on the planet, and responsible for roughly 15% of the US GDP. There really isn't anything more to add which everyone already knows. Intel: Has fallen behind AMD when it comes to CPUs, and their GPUs are not as good as AMD's or Nvidia's. Still a massive player in the CPU market. Cisco: they are critical in creating and supplying networking hardware that are used in datacentres.   submitted by   /u/PrettyPicturesNotTxt [link]   [comments]