Nvidia would like a word. If a hardware manufacturer releases software and creates a strong bedrock for others to build on their work then its clearly a strong asset. Granted, this is not at all easy to do, and initial investment into it may be large, but when it works it pays off immensely.
Nvidia has definitely earned a word, but I think they fit here actually—do they make much money on software? They do have a little portal with some programs for sale. But, like, CUDA is zero-cost for users. All the work put into CUDA is purely an investment in enabling people who’ve bought their hardware.
That's the deal, though. Hardware companies tend to think of software as a separate cost center/profit center from hardware.
In reality, a good software/hardware meld can make all the difference (hello, Apple). In those cases, the software is "free."
I am not that familiar with Nvidia, but, from what I hear, they do good software, to go with their hardware, and have a robust developer outreach program.