Apple vs Nvidia: Inside Silicon Valley’s silent rivalry no one talks about

It’s a rivalry that rarely grabs headlines but quietly shapes the future of the tech world — between Apple and Nvidia, two US giants locked in a battle of innovation and influence.

One rules the world of AI chips, the other dominates consumer hardware, and their uneasy relationship has become one of Silicon Valley’s most enduring feuds.

A history written in distrust

The feud began long before AI took over. In the early 2000s, Steve Jobs accused Nvidia of stealing technology developed by Pixar, his animation studio.

The tense encounter reportedly ended with Jobs refusing to speak to Nvidia executives again, setting the tone for years of hostility.

Bumpgate scandal (2008)

By 2008, the relationship worsened after the “Bumpgate” scandal, when faulty Nvidia chips caused MacBook Pros to overheat and fail.

Apple was forced to cover costly repairs after Nvidia initially refused responsibility. The fallout pushed Apple to distance itself further from the chipmaker.

The patent battles (2010)

In the 2010s, Nvidia began demanding licensing fees for graphics patents allegedly used in iPhones and iPads.

Apple, already working on its own graphics processors, saw this as the final straw.

The final break with Nvidia (2019)

Later, by 2019, the Cupertino-based tech giant officially ended driver support for Nvidia GPUs, cutting ties completely.

When Apple chose Google over Nvidia (2024)

In a surprising move in 2024, Apple reportedly used Google’s AI chips to train its own artificial intelligence (AI) models instead of Nvidia’s coveted GPUs, a clear sign that the grudge still runs deep.

While Nvidia dominates the AI chip market, Apple has doubled down on building its own silicon, such as the M-series chips that power its devices.

The CEOs

Experts noted that Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang has surpassed Apple’s Tim Cook in political cachet amid the AI revolution and Donald Trump’s second presidential administration.