While the concept of artificial intelligence (AI) has been around for decades, it was the technological innovations of the past several years that brought the concept to reality. The combination of big data, faster processors, and more sophisticated algorithms moved AI from the drawing board into the boardroom, with companies big and small assessing the best way to use this nascent technology to gain a competitive advantage.NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) pioneered the graphics processing unit (GPU) and has reaped the rewards of the recent emphasis on AI as much as any other company.