Nvidia Says They Want to Build an x86 CPU
Nvidia Says They Want to Build an x86 CPU
Posted 03/05/2009 at 6:22am
| by Paul Lilly
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During a Q&A session at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference in San Francisco earlier this week, Nvidia revealed intentions of getting into the x86 business, saying it was a matter of 'when', and not 'if.'
"I think some time down the road it makes sense to take the same level of integration that we've done with Tegra," said Michael Hara, Nvidia's senior VP of investor relations and communications. "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. 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."
For the here and now, Nvidia is content to pair its Ion platform with Intel's Atom processor, but for how long? Hara explained that it might make sense to approach the x86 market in two or three years, and while he wasn't willing to offer a more concrete timeframe, he did say "there's no question it's on our minds."
No doubt Intel's x86 license is also on Nvidia's minds, as the two companies tussle over whether or not Nvidia is allowed to build chipsets for Nehalem. How the current dispute plays out could play big role on how Nvidia approaches the CPU business.
Do you like the idea of Nvidia building CPUS? Hit the jump and tell us what you think.
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majorsuave
March 06, 2009 at 10:21am
This is good and bad.
Competition is good to us, but 3 entities producing CPUs, GPUs and chipset might mean compatibility going away.
Keith E. Whisman
March 06, 2009 at 11:20pm
Actually not quite. When it comes to graphics manufacturers can make whatever they want as long as it can communicate with the DirectX direct3D Graphics API that interfaces the hardware with the software. So pretty much as long as the drivers obey certain API rules everyone will work together. Same thing with CPU's. X86 is the CPU standard albeit I want to see it retire in my lifetime. As long as it's X86 compatible it will work like any other X86 processor. As long as the manufacturers abide by the standards everything will keep huming along but we wont really be able to go back in time until we invent the flex capacitor and the OS that it is compatible with.
Keith E. Whisman
March 06, 2009 at 8:09am
BTW I think that if we are ever going to send large star ships into space and to the far reaches of the galaxy then we need to retire X86 altogether. I know this sounds like heresy but it's not. X86 is a very old technology. I think that it's time to see what would be the fastest processor ever. What micro architecture will provide the universe with the scalability that the x86 offers but with way faster performance and expandability. Perhaps we can build a processor that actually uses the uncertainty principal to it's advantage. A single chip with multiple cores that is faster and can calculate more than any other computer on the planet including super computers.
It's bound to happen but we need to free our selves of the X86 shackles to do it.
MAJORzer0
March 07, 2009 at 5:06am
There's no telling where the market would go if one of these companies got out of the box. I can see nothing but better CPU's, GPU's, and chipsets. One could hope that if they were trying to get into the market they would know the value of bringing something new to the table. NVidia always had good grasp on chips and GPU's and I'd wager they would do well in the competition. I've been a NVIDIA fan from day one of being a tech-nerd. Putting my opinions about graphics cards aside, this can turn out to be a great leap or a great failure. As long as they keep their roots in GPU's they shouldn't fall too hard.... if they fall at all.
Totally agree with Keith on this one. We need to see innovation and invention. Right now everyone has just been basing things off of old tech that,though has been very good to us in the past, has seen the limit. They'll never hear us or take it to heart but we can still ask for something better... we are consumers after all.
~No one said it would be easy....they just said it was worth it...~
Keith E. Whisman
March 07, 2009 at 8:53am
X86 has been around for some 30years now. Hell the USS Enterprise NCC-1701B was supposed to be decomissioned after just 20years. We are using the same technology that was built thirty years ago. It's alot faster and powerfull but I say there has to be better ways to guess at math.
tkid124
March 06, 2009 at 8:02am
Yes the more well funded good ideas is a good thing, this is why venture capitalist make the big bucks.
However if Nvidia ends up over expanding their cash on products we could gain a competition in the CPU market, and lose one in Graphics chip sets. So plan it out Nvidia, we’d love to have more completion to feed more innovation in both markets.
Keith E. Whisman
March 06, 2009 at 7:56am
It is to Intel's benefit to give Nvidia a license. With competition Intel is at it's best.
However if Intel does not grant Nvidia a license I say Nvidia should sue Intel for be anti competitive. This is exactly what Intel has gotten in trouble with before.
ghot
March 05, 2009 at 10:11pm
nVidia makes and has made the best chipsets...EVER.....so at least on that note....I hope they continue. As for the CPU's....go get em nVidia.....just keep the heat down :)
Take efficiency, and edit out all the intelligence and what you have left is a post-XP Microsoft operating system :)
jvc08
March 05, 2009 at 7:54pm
nvidia should just jump to the cpu bussiness with their two feet. why not go directly to 128bit, higher memory capacities, forget about x86 (that's old). people would be intreague about going futuristic.
if they release a 32bit/64bit capable cpu they'll suffer competition from intel, amd, apple...
Cache
March 05, 2009 at 6:17pm
If the nVidia CPU's are anything like their chipsets and GPU's, I will need to invest in a better fire extinguisher.
gatorXXX
March 05, 2009 at 12:13pm
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!
thegamepro
March 05, 2009 at 12:02pm
Maybe this will pressure intel to make better integrated graphics.
More competition is great just as long as these cpu's are compatible in their similar motherboards and don't require us to buy lots of new hardware.
dc10ten
March 05, 2009 at 11:51am
depending on how well they do, they could really shake things up in the computer world. Basically they are now intrested in controling the whole platform rather than just chipset and gpu.
fine by me as a consumer.
Seana7a7
March 05, 2009 at 8:57am
It would be great to have a Nvidia CPU, GPU and Chipset,
If only Intel would allow Nvidia to make chipsets for the i7 We can only dream.
AndyYankee17
March 05, 2009 at 9:44am
why would nvidia need to make chipsets? the i7 already supports sli and crossfire
sasquatch42
March 05, 2009 at 1:42pm
x58 is just a cash flow for Intel now
they don't have to improve their chipset since it no longer has competition, also prices will be higher longer
AndyYankee17
March 05, 2009 at 9:41am
I'm sick of answering this question, so I'll explain it to you and ray who was also curious.
x86 is an instruction set a CPU is generally x86, a GPU is directx/opengl, a sound card something else, and mpeg chip does mpeg code ect. ect.
x86 has been standard for years, in fact it's pretty much all their is (there used to be PPC but now apple uses intel processors). the name comes from intels old cpu line the 80x86 where the x would designate a model number (may be wrong on the numbers I was barely alive when this happend) basically x86 is standard has been used for years and has no need to be changed.
x64 does not exist, there is no such thing. most people mean this as 64 bit. 16/32/64 bit is something completely different.
for the most part x86 means the general CPU to separate it from a GPU and other confusion.
no such thing as x64, I wish people would stop using it and confusing people
DethRawk
March 05, 2009 at 3:38pm
Maybe if you answered the question correctly then there wouldnt be so much confusion.
x64 is just another way of saying x86-64 bit (think new 64 bit cpus)... as opposed to x86-16 bit (orginal 8086 cpus) and x86-32 bit (386, 486 cpus). To keep from confusing the cpu lines for software compatibilty sake, the x86-64 (or x64) was used to indicate 64 bit while x86 implied 32 bit.
rayatwork05
March 05, 2009 at 8:24am
its been awhile....but...whats the x86 mean again? and why hasnt a x86 infrastructure been redeveloped, re patented, and deployed? i'd imagine theres a few different ways to get around creating a processor under the intel patent...
MadOTC
March 05, 2009 at 7:54am
Yes, yes, double yes. More competition equals faster components and lower prices. If this happens it would probably also push Intel to start developing some competing graphics cards which would also be good for the market. Thank you Nvidia!
Gailim
March 05, 2009 at 7:38am
lol didnt nvidia say just last week that "CPU's are dead"
now it's "we want to make CPU's"
oh boy, where will this go next?
MvanA
March 05, 2009 at 7:10am
Any competition in the market that will push it to newer highs with lower costs is a good thing. If nVidia can make an x86 chip that pushes Intel and AMD to make higher powered/lower priced chips to try to keep their market shares than all the power to nVidia. Competition breeds innovation.
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