TMS34010

The TMS34010, developed by Texas Instruments and released in 1986, was the first programmable graphics processor integrated circuit. While specialized graphics hardware existed earlier, such as blitters, the TMS34010 chip is a microprocessor which includes graphics-oriented instructions, making it a combination of a CPU and what would later be called a GPU.

The chip was heavily used in arcade video games from the late 1980s through the mid 1990s, primarily from Atari Games and Midway Games. It was first used in NARC in 1988, then other games including Hard Drivin', Smash TV, Mortal Kombat, and NBA Jam. It was also part of computer workstation video accelerator boards in the 1990s. TI later released the TMS34020 with an emphasis on 3D rendering.