Nvidia: Expect x86 Processor in 2-3 Years
The rift between Intel and Nvidia is about to get much, much bigger.
For years, many have speculated that Nvidia would eventually release its own x86-based processor. While rumors can come and go, one is hard pressed to ignore Nvidia CPU talk when it's coming from an executive inside the Santa Clara, CA company.
While taking questions at a Morgan Stanley conference in San Francisco yesterday, Nvidia's Michael Hara (Senior VP of investor relations) said an Nvidia-branded x86 CPU is a certainly within the next several years. “The question is not so much I think if; I think the question is when," said Hara. “I think some time down the road it makes sense to take the same level of integration that we’ve done with Tegra."
Nvidia's ARM-based Tegra CPU combines all computing functions (general purpose, video, etc.) onto one piece of silicon, and is expected to make a splash in the smartphone market, and may even find its way into other mobile devices. "Tegra is by any definition a complete computer on a chip, and the requirements of that market are such that you have to be very low power, very small, but highly efficient," said Hara. "So in that particular state it made a lot of sense to take that approach, and someday it’s going to make sense to take the same approach in the x86 market as well.”
While seeing an Nvidia x86 CPU would certainly shake up the marketplace, Hara says it wouldn't necessarily be for high demand machines. Instead, he believes that keeping high performance computing discrete will allow for the best performance. He proposes an Nvidia x86 chip for low power computing, like netbooks and MIDs. Sure, an Nvidia "Extreme Edition" CPU would be killer, but an offering from Nvidia in the mobile computing market would still give Intel and the Atom processor a run for their money.
With Nvidia and Intel already butting heads on discrete graphics, embedded graphics, chipsets and licensing, adding CPU design and manufacturing to the list just fuels what seems like an eternal technology rivalry.
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Let me guess..Will it be yet another way to recycle the G92? lol
nice... this will squeeze amd/via :-(
Too bad nVidia is small potatoes compared to Intel. Just like AMD is more or less. It gives them a tough job of getting enough research and development money and expertise to actually do the design of highly competitive parts. Intel has, up until this point, stayed out of the powerful graphics market, allowsing nVidia, and AMD's recently acquired GPU maker ATI to have the full lions share of discrete GPU market. With Larabee coming to market soon, nVidia see's Intel entering the high end discrete GPU market and in order to preserve it's market cap, will want to venture into new technology. Intel has pretty much reached market cap limits for chipsets and CPUs and is now moving into new technology for them, GPU's while seeming to back away from NAND FLASH for some reason.
Let me guess..Will it be yet another way to recycle the G92? lol
I like that...
Let me guess..Will it be yet another way to recycle the G92? lol
This cracked me up so much. I fell out of my chair.
Nforce chipests, GPU Technology, now X86 CPU's....... Yeah I'm on board for the next generation of greatness. Just as intel sells CPU's and boards with there own chipsets I see Nvidia doing the same thing ONLY better. AMD I hate to say is on life support so now is the time for Nvidia to step up and lead. Imagine a full gaming system nvidia CPU, GPU, Nforce Mobo, only thing missing is Nvidia memory. "The Award for most Kick Butt gaming system goes to Nvidia" lol.
Nforce chipests, GPU Technology, now X86 CPU's....... Yeah I'm on board for the next generation of greatness. Just as intel sells CPU's and boards with there own chipsets I see Nvidia doing the same thing ONLY better. AMD I hate to say is on life support so now is the time for Nvidia to step up and lead. Imagine a full gaming system nvidia CPU, GPU, Nforce Mobo, only thing missing is Nvidia memory. "The Award for most Kick Butt gaming system goes to Nvidia" lol.
AMD has an increadibly strong server market and well performing grahpics market to keep it afloat until they can finish the catch-up. They have the Phenom II which is keeping up with intels latest, which is a testiment of how well they're doing in such hard times.
Nvidia will never lead the performance pack in x86, and it has a little to do with experience. The best they could possibly do would be to purchase via for their x86 liciense, and then apply their graphics and effeciency knowledge to the nano. But without that, every competitor they'll be up against has 20+ years of experience in the x86 market over them. Lol, and the "next generation of greatness" wont be with Nvidia.
Nforce chipests, GPU Technology, now X86 CPU's....... Yeah I'm on board for the next generation of greatness. Just as intel sells CPU's and boards with there own chipsets I see Nvidia doing the same thing ONLY better. AMD I hate to say is on life support so now is the time for Nvidia to step up and lead. Imagine a full gaming system nvidia CPU, GPU, Nforce Mobo, only thing missing is Nvidia memory. "The Award for most Kick Butt gaming system goes to Nvidia" lol.
Fucking fan boys....
With Intel suing Nvidia over chipset licenses I doubt that would they would be able to make x86 cpu with out a license. The only reason AMD can produce x86 chips is from an agreement from way back, and I don't think Intel has to license x86 to anyone. But that could have anti-trust issues attached.
AMD can produce x86 chips because of an arbitration case where as a remedy for Intel's breach of a contract, the arbitrator granted AMD a perpetual, royalty-free license to x86 patents, as well as any technology patents belonging to Intel obtained through reverse engineering.
Anyone else making x86 technology must license it from Intel. Intel does not have to license to Nvidia if it does not want to do so.
nVidia's chip designs are great, they do more process with lower clocks, so in netbook market, and mobile device market, nVidia's x86's could be great, and will be great, not a fanboy, this is technology, and economics and competition! they know they have to release a great product to be compete-able with other products in the market! wait and see!
[ remember, more product's competition, better prices and performance, better for us ]
With Intel suing Nvidia over chipset licenses I doubt that would they would be able to make x86 cpu with out a license. The only reason AMD can produce x86 chips is from an agreement from way back, and I don't think Intel has to license x86 to anyone. But that could have anti-trust issues attached.
Nvidia can probably make x86 processors without violating Intel's x86 license because the patents on the 486 processor will expire this year. Intel Atom processors' design are very simple, very much like a pentium or a 486 processor, which is why Nvidia can make their own x86 processors based on the 486 processors without violating Intel's IP. They could've made a processor that integrate an x86 processor and the ION platform in one die and sell it for cheap.
Nvidia buying Via is on the edge of possibility. I am not sure that Nvidia has the capital to actually out right buy Via though. Would be their best bet though to enter into the cpu market.
Nvidia should enter the CPU market because the CPU market is going to increase substantially in the future when many things like cars,TV's,robots etc are going to have a small CPU in them.
I hope they'll enter the high end segment also because more competition is needed there.
via should merge with nvidia. they could use a proper chipset maker and the capital to invest into new cpus and hopefully will allow the transfer of the x86 license
The license for the 486 runs up soon, so x86 shouldn't be hard. But SSE, SSE2, and all the way up are probably still out of Nvidia's reach, and that could hurt.
Let me guess..Will it be yet another way to recycle the G92? lol
After reading Angelini's article...this made me lol a little. :-D
Let me guess..Will it be yet another way to recycle the G92? lol
LOL!!!! thumbs up!
Let me guess..Will it be yet another way to recycle the G92? lol
Awesome... just awesome.
Let me guess..Will it be yet another way to recycle the G92? lol
LOL!
Why not just aim for x64 processor? I mean in 2-3 years x86 will start to go down!
Sorry..The G92 was the first thing that popped in my head. It's like a penny stuck to the pavement so to speak. I buy alot of Nvidia stuff but I cannot help but scoff at the prospect of them playing in the CPU arena. They need to take the advice they gave Intel and "stick to doing what you do well". I am sure they feel a new world coming with integrated graphics on the CPU core and dont want to miss the boat but their lazy, lack of innovation rebranding of stale products tells me they are NOT ready. They are losing the price/perf battle in what they do best which means they need to concentrate on fixing their house before adding on to it.
NICE! I just got a virus off one of the banner ads on this page. What the hell?
Why not just aim for x64 processor? I mean in 2-3 years x86 will start to go down!
Because every x64 processor is really just an x86 processor with 64-bit extentions. The only real 64-bit processors come from IBM or intel's Itanium lineup (I could be missing one, dono). You can thank AMD for that massive screwup. If AMD hadnt rushed the gate on 64-bit support when it didnt matter one bit, we would likely have true 64-bit solutions atm.
So for now, and much of the forseeable future, x86 compatability will have to be a priority.
NICE! I just got a virus off one of the banner ads on this page. What the hell?
Yea my AV went crazy on here a while ago. I would never expect anything like that here.
Let me guess..Will it be yet another way to recycle the G92? lol
Only if they could. At least it would make the G92 chip dirt cheap mass production and all.
Yea my AV went crazy on here a while ago. I would never expect anything like that here.
That's why i changed my hosts file to block most ad's gets most of them at least.
Yea my AV went crazy on here a while ago. I would never expect anything like that here.
Get firefox with no script and adblock extensions. Works wonders for me.
even though Intel is more than 10x the size AMD/Nvidia combined, Intel's criteria for being successful is their high profit margin. Any extra competition in any segment directly into the x86 market could spell disaster for Intel and some very unhappy shareholders. Since Intel and Nvidia holds more of a grudge towards each other than ever, this makes perfect sense; if not to just piss off Intel.
So what happened to the GPU will power the PC?
No matter which way you look at it, most pc programs are written for a x86 cpu and to be able to enter the CPU market you processor will have to support that instrction set. I would be pissed off if I bought a new CPU and most of my software didn't work cause it was not x86.
What is going to happen next, Sony going to bring out a Cell CPU with x86 instructions?
Intel is investing more in a single US Fab than NVidia makes in a year. I love NVidia... they've got some solid GPU designs and they're by no means slouches when it comes to pumping pixels, but it'll take them MANY years and BILLIONS in investment to be able to field a processor that could even compete on the low end of the market - they're not going to be giving AMD and Intel "A run for their money" anytime soon.