# There were 47 graphics chip makers in 1998. Where did they all go?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/there-were-47-graphics-chip-makers-in-1998-where-did-they-all-go/
- Published: 2026-11-11T16:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-11T16:26:38+00:00
- Original publisher: Rock Paper Shotgun
- Original article: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/there-were-47-graphics-chip-makers-in-1998-where-did-they-all-go
- Topics: Entertainment, Gaming

## Key points

- The graphics chip industry shrank from 47 makers to 15 in two years.
- Rapid release schedules became more important than peak chip speed.
- Nvidia was organised to develop several chip generations at once.

## Summary

In 1998, 47 companies designed or sold PC graphics chips, but only 15 remained two years later, with Nvidia and ATI eventually dominating the market. The article argues that the shake-out happened as graphics development became more costly and success depended increasingly on releasing new chips quickly, rather than simply making the fastest one.

ATI led sales in 1998 with 24.5 million chips, followed by S3 on 15.2 million; Nvidia sold 6.4 million and ranked fourth. Companies struggled to match a roughly six-month release cycle, while Nvidia organised teams to develop several generations at once. Some, including 3dfx, also lost ground as shared graphics standards such as Direct3D and OpenGL reduced the advantage of proprietary technologies such as Glide.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.