NVIDIA's RIVA 128: From Near Bankruptcy to GPU Domination

This is the first in a series of posts detailing the architecture of NVIDIA's first commercially successful product, the RIVA 128 graphics card. The author recounts NVIDIA's early struggles, including the failures of the NV1 and NV2 chips, and the desperate race against bankruptcy to develop the RIVA 128. The RIVA 128's success catapulted NVIDIA to its current position as a dominant force in AI and GPUs. The post provides a deep dive into the RIVA 128's architecture, covering its memory mapping, interrupt system, DMA engine, and object system, revealing the complexity and ingenuity of this iconic GPU.