Search Results

In the competitive landscape of technology vendors, developer programs are often seen as essential for building robust ecosystems. Our Developer Program Benchmarking research consistently reveals a puzzling phenomenon: NVIDIA. Its developer program scores lower than average across all vendors we benchmark in terms of engagement and satisfaction for two consecutive years. Yet, the company maintains strong leadership in market capitalisation, having recently hit a record high in shares .  This paradox highlights a broader industry insight; dominance doesn't always stem from developer program polish. Instead, it can come from holistic ecosystem strategy. In this blog, we explore what has worked for NVIDIA and what other vendors, particularly silicon-focused players such as AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, can learn from their model. The CUDA ecosystem NVIDIA’s most significant developer engagement lever is not its formal program, but the CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) ecosystem. Launched in 2006, CUDA has become the gold standard for GPU programming in AI, HPC, and scientific computing. It’s a comprehensive ecosystem of libraries, including cuDNN for deep learning and cuBLAS for linear algebra, along with deep integrations with frameworks such as PyTorch and TensorFlow . This makes CUDA not only powerful but also incredibly sticky. Developers and researchers who build with it rarely look elsewhere, because switching means losing access to the world’s most mature and optimised GPU platform. What really sets CUDA apart is its network effect. It’s taught in universities, required in job postings, and baked into the workflows of thousands of startups and research labs. According to NVIDIA, over 4.5 million developers now use CUDA, up from 1.8 million in 2020 . That’s a 150% increase in just a few years. That growth is self-reinforcing: more users mean better community support, more shared code, and more third-party tools, an ecosystem momentum few competitors have matched. However, this community-driven approach can also present strategic vulnerabilities. NVIDIA has limited control over the developer experience, support quality, or messaging within this ecosystem. Much of this knowledge transfer is happening through informal channels or community groups, rather than optimised pathways. Silicon vendors like AMD and Intel, by comparison, have struggled to build similarly mature software ecosystems around their hardware offerings. University partnerships and training NVIDIA has strategically invested in academic partnerships that create a continuous pipeline of developers already familiar with their technology. Its partnership with the University of Florida is a prime example: a $70 million initiative that resulted in the HiPerGator 3 supercomputer, powered by NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD systems. Beyond infrastructure, this collaboration includes curriculum development and access to the latest GPU tools, embedding NVIDIA’s technology directly into teaching and research pipelines. This effort is mirrored in the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI) University Ambassador Program . The program equips faculty with cloud-based GPU labs and ready-made teaching kits to deliver hands-on training in CUDA and AI. Rather than relying on documentation or forums, NVIDIA meets students where they are, inside classrooms, with real tools and real use cases.  This early career intervention is one of NVIDIA’s most successful developer strategies, and one that bypasses traditional program metrics entirely. For other vendors, especially those with strong hardware portfolios but weaker developer engagement, replicating this academic integration could yield significant returns in loyalty and talent development. A key advantage for other vendors is the ability to combine this intervention strategy with a superior formal developer program which accelerates developers' success and advocacy once they enter the workforce. NVIDIA’s full-stack integration strategy Beyond chips and training, NVIDIA’s edge lies in owning the full AI stack, from hardware to software to networking. Unlike competitors who sell only silicon, NVIDIA delivers integrated systems, such as the DGX SuperPOD and AI Factory reference architectures, which combine GPUs, NVLink switches, SDKs like TensorRT, and orchestration tools like NVIDIA Run:AI . These aren’t just hardware bundles; they’re turnkey solutions that enterprises can drop into production environments with minimal configuration . This vertical integration creates seamless workflows and performance optimisations that generic silicon providers can’t easily match. Competitors like AMD and Intel largely remain focused on component-level sales, often relying on third-party or open-source tooling to complete the developer stack. The result is a fragmented experience that can frustrate developers and delay deployments. NVIDIA’s approach, by contrast, offers plug-and-play performance for production AI environments, which shortens time-to-value and raises switching costs. While the technology integration is seamless, the developer experience of learning, troubleshooting, and optimising can heavily rely on informal, community support if they are not actively involved in a partner university program. Competitors exploring full-stack integrations can consider leveraging their more comprehensive developer program to support effective documentation, responsive support networks, and clear migration guides.   Strategic implications for technology vendors NVIDIA’s success despite low developer program satisfaction scores highlights a fundamental industry lesson: true developer loyalty stems not from polished portals or responsive forums, but from building a cohesive and indispensable ecosystem. This includes proprietary SDKs, full-stack integration, academic partnerships, and hands-on training, all of which create long-term reliance and lower the barrier to entry for developers. Developer programs support developers and encourage long-term engagement, but ecosystems draw people in. For silicon vendors and technology leaders seeking to expand their developer base, this means rethinking developer engagement as a long-term ecosystem investment rather than a series of touchpoints. A well-supported, fully integrated platform, even if it's not the most performant, can win developer mindshare by helping teams ship faster and with more confidence. For shareholders, the implication is clear: ecosystem depth is not just a differentiator, but a strategic advantage. Those who build ecosystems, not just programs, will define the next era of technological leadership. Do you know which are the drivers that make your company successful and your audience happy? Let's explore them together. Schedule a call with our experts . About the author Bleona Bicaj, Senior Market Research Analyst Bleona Bicaj is a behavioural specialist, enthusiastic about data and behavioural science. She holds a Master's degree from Leiden University in Economic and Consumer Psychology. She has more than 7 years of professional experience as an analyst in the data analysis and market research industry.

The developer landscape is shifting faster than ever. AI agents are moving from buzzword to reality. Cloud deployment has become universal. Security threats are multiplying alongside AI's expanding attack surface. At SlashData, we don't just track these changes; we decode what they actually mean for the companies building developer tools and platforms. For our 30th wave of Developer Nation, we're expanding our focus areas, refining our intelligence gathering, and improving our methodology to ensure our research remains the most relevant and actionable in the industry. Professionals across the full breadth of the development sector — CTOs, product and program managers, engineers and DevOps teams, and more — rely on that intelligence.  Moschoula Kramvousanou, CEO talks about our research focus for 2025 Why now? Because as the technology landscape evolves, vendors are finding it increasingly challenging to understand what their developers truly need and how they truly work. We're introducing new research areas and enhanced methodologies based on direct feedback from leading technology companies who depend on our insights to make critical product and strategy decisions. The result is our most comprehensive survey yet, designed to give you the intelligence that actually drives business outcomes. Why This Intelligence Matters Now The technology sector is experiencing its most significant shift since the mobile revolution. AI capabilities are reshaping every development workflow. Cloud infrastructure has become invisible but critical. Security requirements are evolving faster than security practices. Companies making decisions based on outdated intelligence – or worse: vendor marketing – are missing the real opportunities and risks. Our H2 2025 research cuts through the noise to deliver the insights that actually drive successful developer products and strategies. Whether you're deciding where to invest AI development resources, how to position cloud tools, or which developer segments to prioritise, this intelligence gives you the foundation for decisions that matter. Core Intelligence: AI Agents and Security Reality Check AI Agents: Cutting Through the Hype Everyone's talking about AI agents, but who's using them? We're asking over 10,000 developers worldwide about their real experience with agentic architectures. Not the marketing promises, but the ground truth. Which platforms are gaining genuine traction? What specific tasks are developers successfully automating? How well do developers understand core concepts like Model Context Protocol compared to how well vendors think they do? We're asking over 10,000 developers worldwide about their real experience with agentic architectures. Not the marketing promises, but the ground truth. This intelligence emerged from conversations with major AI platform providers who need to understand whether their educational and marketing efforts are translating into adoption and where the genuine market opportunities lie. We're also investigating developer familiarity across the full spectrum of agentic AI platforms and frameworks, providing comprehensive competitive intelligence for this rapidly evolving space. DevSecOps: The Security Gap Analysis With AI agents expanding attack surfaces and security breaches dominating headlines, we're conducting a renewed investigation into DevSecOps. We're mapping the critical gap between developers' expressed security concerns and their actual implementation practices: examining the frequency of security checks, CI/CD pipeline ownership, and the implementation of security guardrails. Previous SlashData research revealed security as a top developer concern, but practice consistently lagged behind stated urgency. Now we'll provide definitive insight on whether the industry is finally catching up, and what real-world implementations actually look like. Cloud Intelligence Trends: Beyond Backend Specialisation Universal Cloud Reality Starting H2 2025, we're surveying all cloud users: not just backend specialists. We're breaking down the artificial barriers in cloud research that have limited the breadth of understanding we can provide. For years, we limited detailed cloud questions to backend developers, but with over 90% of developers now using cloud services, that approach missed the full picture and critical insights. Starting H2 2025, we're surveying all cloud users: not just backend specialists. This expansion gives you comprehensive insight from both the developers configuring cloud tools and infrastructure and those using cloud services in their daily development work. The difference in perspectives between these groups often reveals critical gaps in product positioning, user experience design, and feature prioritisation that can make or break adoption strategies. Cloud-Native Deep Dive We've significantly expanded our cloud-native development tracking to capture the real adoption patterns and preferences across emerging technologies and methodologies. With our survey scale spanning thousands of backend developers, you'll get unprecedented visibility into which cloud-native approaches are actually driving adoption versus which ones are generating buzz without substance.  Data Residency and CSP Intelligence We're also introducing comprehensive tracking of data residency compliance requirements and how they influence cloud deployment decisions. Combined with our enhanced cloud service provider preference analysis and expanded cloud-native research, these three focus areas reflect the growing complexity of cloud decision-making. Our CSP clients have shown particular interest in understanding how developers navigate these interconnected challenges, as regulatory requirements increasingly shape technical architecture choices. Developer Program Benchmarking: AI Integration and Sample Code SlashData's developer programme benchmarking has become a cornerstone for leading technology companies understanding where they excel and where they need to improve. For years, our benchmarking has enabled clients to directly compare their developer programmes against competitors, providing critical insights into how they fit within developers' core workflows and decision-making processes. This established expertise allows us to speak with authority about industry-wide trends and pain points. AI Assistant Integration Building on our benchmarking foundation, we're now tracking the integration of AI assistants and tools as a core programme feature. The largest companies in our network are aggressively pursuing these capabilities, but questions remain: How important is this to developers? Which developer segments care most? Our expanded benchmarking will give you clarity on where to invest your AI support efforts and how to position these against competitor offerings. Sample Code: The Industry's Biggest Failure Point Our extensive benchmarking work has consistently revealed that vendor-supplied sample code is where the entire industry falls short of developer expectations. This wave, we're conducting our most comprehensive sample code analysis yet. We’re examining what features developers actually value, their biggest frustrations, and the specific scenarios where they turn to sample code versus other resources. We're also having developers rate familiar vendors across multiple sample code dimensions: relevance, discoverability, production applicability, and currency. Combined with our curated understanding of developer preferences and pain points, this will provide a complete picture of how sample code impacts developer adoption and satisfaction. If you're not measuring up, you won’t know exactly where to focus your improvements. Specialised Sector Intelligence Gaming Industry Transformation The gaming sector is navigating unprecedented change, but one thing remains constant: the quality of games continues to reach new heights. While the creative output has never been stronger, the developers and studios behind these exceptional experiences are facing significant challenges. Our upcoming State of Game Development report (coming November 2025) will provide comprehensive profiling of game developers to understand their current landscape, technology choices, and perspectives, with an additional focus on how AI tools are helping or hindering their work, adding crucial 2025 context to this analysis. We've enhanced our profiling capabilities to distinguish between technical roles, creative roles, and non-technical support staff. These are critical segmentations for companies targeting different aspects of the gaming development pipeline. This granular approach allows engine providers, tool creators, and platform companies to understand exactly which roles are most receptive to their solutions and what specific challenges each segment faces in their daily work. XR Reality Check Despite major moves like the Apple Vision Pro, XR hasn't achieved mainstream presence. Our XR Landscape report will provide updated intelligence on who's actually working in this space, plus 10-year predictions from developers across all sectors. Are XR developers more optimistic than the broader market? Do younger developers see more potential? The answers will likely shape XR investment strategies. AI at the Edge Edge computing and AI/ML are converging rapidly, creating new opportunities and challenges for developers and the companies serving them. This has become a growing topic of interest that's increasingly important to many vendors with the proliferation of small advanced models that can run effectively at the edge. We're conducting comprehensive research into which edge AI/ML projects are gaining real traction beyond proof-of-concept stages, what specific frameworks and development approaches developers prefer, and where the current pain points create the biggest opportunities for better tooling and platforms. This research covers the technical requirements and the developer experience challenges that determine success in this emerging market. IIoT Developer Journey We're also investigating how Industrial IoT developers first entered the field, focusing on their initial development board experiences and early learning journey. This research helps companies in the IIoT space understand how they stack up against competitors in terms of developer onboarding and initial experience; critical factors for long-term ecosystem adoption. That’s not all In addition to these comprehensive research areas, we offer client-exclusive questions designed around your specific intelligence requirements. This bespoke research capability ensures you're not just getting industry-wide insights, but the targeted data that directly informs your unique strategic challenges and opportunities. The 30th wave of Developer Nation is currently collecting responses from around the world. If you want to help shape these insights, have your say .  You can be the first to know when these insights become available by subscribing to our newsletter . Or you can get in touch  and we will make sure to get you all the intelligence you need.  About the author Liam Bollman-Dodd, Senior Market Reseach Analyst Liam is a former experimental antimatter physicist, and he obtained a PhD in Physics while working at CERN. He is interested in the changing landscape of cloud development, cybersecurity, and the relationship between technological developments and their impact on society.

Or what skills are you focusing on improving? This is a post from DevRelX. DevRelX was a community-driven platform by SlashData dedicated to advancing Developer Relations (DevRel), Developer Marketing, and Developer Experience professionals. It provided research, insights, and resources through initiatives like the Future Developer Summit & the DevRelX Summit, the DevRelX Podcast, and a book. DevRelX created a vibrant space for learning, connection, and discussion within the global DevRel community, until the community was sunset in 2023 as SlashData shifted its focs to wide Technology Research. The DevRelX Community Voice column is one of a few ways we invite our community members to share ideas and solve challenges around various topics like DevRel strategy, metrics, career growth, and just DevRel’s day-to-day. Want to add your voice to this and more key DevRel topics? Join our community and participate in the next Community Voice prompts where you can ask your questions! Opemipo Disu, Developer Advocate at Fermyon I think communication is a skill an aspiring DevRel should have DevRel acts as a 'middle-man' between the company and the users. In a DevRel role, it's essential you get across to users' feedback and in this case, I think communication is pretty much important in this case. Pj Metz, Developer Community Manager #OpenToWork Empathy and authenticity. Developers don’t like to be marketed to, so making sure that you’re being yourself and understanding what it is that they need from a DevRel is very important. Developers have problems to solve, and DevRel has a possible solution. That’s the goal is to show them the problem being solved, not making promises about speed, agility, etc. Show the problem getting solved. Tabatha DiDomenico, OSS Developer Relations & Security Advocate Listening is a skill that deserves attention or, really, listening with intention —engaging with a goal in mind more often yields actionable, helpful ideas. Of course, the casual conversation has its place, but it may take a while to discover valuable insight for both parties. Even taking a few seconds at the start of a conversation to anchor to a context can help make the most of each connection. Sean Falconer, Head of Marketing & Developer Relations at Skyflow I think it's a bit context-dependent. You need to do a bit of self-analysis and figure out where your weak points are and proactively try to work on those things. If someone is highly technical but has less experience presenting and/or writing, then you should try to build up those skills. If presenting and engaging with people comes naturally but you have the less technical skill, then focusing on deepening your technical skills makes sense. Working in developer relations, especially advocacy, requires a wide breadth of skills. To be really good at it, you need to constantly be working on skill stacking: listening, writing, speaking, programming, and explaining technical concepts to different types of audiences are all skills that you need to be building. So my long-winded advice is to try to shore up your weaknesses. This is also great for storytelling in an interview, it shows you care about self-improvement, you have passion for what you do, and even if you don't perfectly line up with the job requirements, you're someone who's going to walk through walls to level up so you can do the job. Michael Arguin, Senior Manager, Marketplace & Developer Experience Curiosity and a passion for learning . You won't know everything so you will often have to find answers. Jason St-Cyr, Developer Relations leader at Sitecore A key piece for me is the ability to learn and then teach . In many situations, you need to be encountering something new before others, learn that to keep ahead of the need, and then be able to create something that helps others learn what you just had to. Katie Miller, Director, Developer Marketing Slack Cross-functional relationship building , which encompasses flexibility, curiosity, empathy, and how to reframe communication style and methods to meet folks where they're at!

Our analysts help Tech leaders navigate AI technology decisions with confidence & clarity, backed by data and developer research. About More Navigate AI technology decisions with confidence & clarity Analyst guidance, validated by data Are you talking to the right developer audience? Our analysts can help you drive decision-making with confidence TALK TO OUR ANALYSTS Insights readily available Generative AI for Business SEE THE REPORT Benchmarking of fully-managed generative AI services/APIs SEE THE LEADERS The developers behind generative AI applications PEOPLE BEHIND AI Blog Latest Who we are & what we do SlashData has been working with the top Tech brands to provide clarity and confidence for decision-making in the age of AI. For 20+ years we have been challenging assumptions and reframing market trends to empower industry leaders to drive the world towards the future. From product development to market intelligence and AI, our analysts have your back, with data. They trust us Make AI your competitive advantage, not a liability Contact us Subject * I'm contacting you for First name* Last name* Work Email* Company * Role* Message SUBMIT

Who is SlashData, a brief company history and SlashData priorities and mission. SlashData at a glance 17+ Years of surveying developers 30.000+ Developers that we survey annually 168 Counties that we reach each wave 80+ Partners & Channels that help us reach developers globally 11 developer audiences that we reach and track 96 Customers served 73 Research studies in 2022 130+ Tailored Surveys ran The SlashData mission Transform noise into actionable, high-value insights for decision-makers in Tech Who is SlashData? SlashData is a Market Research and Analyst firm , serving the technology industry for 20+ years. Created in 2005 as a mobile industry analyst firm (at the time known as VisionMobile), we were a strategy consultancy for the era of mobile, 2 years before Android and iOS impacted every single industry out there. By 2010 SlashData became the mobile software analysts, working together with the top telcos and handset makers to help them navigate the software disruption. That’s when we launched the Developer Nation research series. In 2015 we evolved into a research analyst firm, earning the trust of Microsoft, Intel, Google, Amazon, Facebook and many more top-100 technology firms, whom we helped understand developers and measure developer satisfaction with their products. SlashData is now an expert in Tech market research , offering a collection of services and research products, including: Competitive benchmarking on key attributes for product design and marketing Market landscape analysis: Positioning and offering vs competitors, including key player and stakeholders Customer satisfaction & perception: Brand awareness, customer loyalty Pricing strategy Explore our: FREE REPORTS SERVICES at a glance 20 years of Developer Research! Our People Our people are the powerhouse of our efforts and success. SlashData’s core values encourage people to be high-performers, customer-centric, compassionate, data-driven, transparent and work together-grow together in a company where every voice matters. Discover more about our people and culture. OUR CULTURE Find out more about SlashData Our Services From audience profile to product optimisation, our research can provide the answer you are looking for. Services Research Products Dive into our research. Explore our industry deep dives. Take me to your research Case studies What’s it like working with SlashData? Here are real-life projects we have worked on. Explore Case Studies Ask anything Share your feature information here to attract new clients. Provide a brief summary to help visitors understand the context and background. Read More 20 years of Developer Research! at a glance Certifications

Unlock targeted growth with SlashData’s customer segmentation service: identify ideal audiences, build personas & boost engagement using data-driven market profiling. How well do you know your customer? Focus on your market’s customer groups that matter, build personas the right way and tailor your strategy for success. What you get through our customer segmentation and persona insights Are you talking to the right customer? Customer segmentation powers your strategy to Focus your effort and resources on the most profitable audience groups. Differentiate from competitors by addressing niche needs. Build loyalty - Deliver personalised interactions. Messaging that resonates by crafting targeted campaigns. Who are you trying to reach? Let’s talk and find the right customer profiles for you. Start your segmentation journey today Customer personas based on market data Ready to go beyond assumptions? Personas are essential to successfully reach that part of your total addressable market that will drive your ROI. Time to go beyond assumptions. Let’s build together the right personas for you: Move from assumptions to data Build personas using impactful segmentation models Access global, high-quality data Time to say “hi!” to the faces that will boost your ROI! How we segment your audience and build personas Wondering where you should start with personas? Take advantage of our data-based, rather than assumption-based, methodology. Remove the guesswork from the process and build customer personas that do the work for you. Step by step, how we work on personas that behave as you expect them to 1 Understanding We work together to understand the audience you want to segment and any plans for future launches. 2 The characteristics that matter Let’s start building using the attributes that matter to you, and depend on how you will use the personas. This ensures that we include all relevant data for the segmentation analysis 3 Data collection Through existing survey results or by designing and fielding bespoke quantitative surveys. 4 Let the data speak Advanced clustering analysis helps us obtain a set of distinct segments. Prior assumptions around the defining characteristics of the segments are not taken into consideration. 5 Behavioural characteristics Profilling analysis gives us the information you will need to tailor your strategies to specific customer profiles. 6 Your personas are here A detailed report summarises the findings of the segmentation analysis, including the key personas and the typical behaviours you should expect them to exhibit. Who are you trying to reach? Let’s talk and find the right customer profiles for you. GET IN TOUCH BOOK A CALL Explore all our services Audience Insights ➜ Product Development & Improvement ➜ Brand Research ➜ Customer Segmentation & Persona Insights ➜ Product Configuration & Optimisation ➜ Competitive Market Intelligence ➜