NVIDIA Likely to Create x86 Processor

As if Intel didn’t have enough to worry about in their ongoing Intel vs. NVIDIA saga, it looks like the green team is actually planning on making an x86 chip – at least eventually. This is pretty much on par with what a recent rumor mentioned, although there’s a little more to it than NVIDIA simply creating a CPU to compete with the likes of AMD and Intel.

At the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in San Francisco, NVIDIA’s Senior VP of Investor Relations answered the question of whether or not NVIDIA would ever release a microprocessor, and his simple answer was, “the question is not so much I think if; I think the question is when“. Bold statement, that’s for sure, especially given that CEO Jen-Hsun Huang showed zero interest about the prospect in the past.

But the deal seems to be that it wouldn’t be a desktop processor, but rather an SoC chip, similar to Tegra, but rather based on x86 rather than ARM (which is incompatible with all-things x86). That makes complete sense, as it would open up far more opportunities for Tegra. But then the issue lies with the fact that NVIDIA doesn’t have an x86 license. Who do they have to get it from? Intel. You put two and two together on that one.

However, Hara also pointed out that Nvidia’s x86 CPU wouldn’t be appropriate for every segment of the market, and would be mainly targeted at smaller system-on-chip platforms. “If you look at the high-end of the PC market I think it’s going to stay fairly discrete, because that seems to be the best of all worlds,” said Hara, adding that “a highly integrated system-on-chip is going to make sense” in the MID (mobile intelligent device) and netbook markets.