NVIDIA’s Optimus Looks to Gain Steam, Support from Apple

On the desktop side, NVIDIA is heavily relying on its GF100 architecture to help rejuvenate both its desktop division and revenue, but on the mobile side, it’s Optimus that looks to give the company a dominant lead in the marketplace. Given the technology, it almost seems like a given that it will happen, because it will give mobile warriors the best of both worlds, great battery-life and solid gaming performance.

We haven’t talked much about Optimus up to this point, but we hope to be able to get some hands-on experience with the platform in the months to come. From the most basic of standpoints, Optimus refers to a mobile device that will be equipped with both an Intel IGP and an NVIDIA discrete GPU. When the IGP is all that will be needed, the NVIDIA GPU sits idle, draining next-to-nothing for power. When a game or any other scenario is activated that could benefit from acceleration, the discrete card kicks into gear.

The major advantage Optimus has over previous technologies is that the transition between IGP and discrete GPU is completely seamless. There’s no switch on the side of the notebook that activates a particular GPU, and there’s no reason for an OS re-login. It’s seamless, and smart, and highly convenient to the end-user. And fortunately for NVIDIA, ATI doesn’t have such a technology, and likely won’t for some time.

Because Apple utilizes NVIDIA products quite heavily in both its desktop and mobile parts, the rumor-mill is running at full steam that the company is highly likely to implement Optimus technology into its upcoming products. I’d have to say there’s a good chance of that, because as mentioned, end-users get the best of both worlds here, and to not have to worry about switching the GPU manually is a great thing.

It’s not fact, but chances are good that Apple will adopt this technology, and when it comes down to it, it’s going to be very difficult for ATI to continue being seen in mobile platforms, simply because the benefits of Optimus are so strong.

In the final reckoning, Optimus actually makes Intel’s IGPs more competitive with AMD/ATI platforms by offering a way to boost its graphics performance, so Optimus is actually a net positive for Intel. Contrast this to NVIDIA’s previous IGP business, which competed with Intel IGPs. But Intel has no presence in the discrete mobile GPU market, and with the Larrabee program now on ice, it won’t have a competing product for some time. Optimus, then, fills a gap in Intel’s platform that desperately needs to be filled, which is why Apple is certain to announce that it will be powering the MacBook line eventually.