Nvidia Making x86 CPU With Ex-Transmeta Brains?
Remember the Crusoe? Perhaps now it'll live on at Nvidia.
We've been hearing rumors of Nvidia's interest in entering the x86 CPU since last year, and now the rumblings are back.
With Nvidia not having the license to produce chipsets for the latest generation of Intel chips, the graphics company may have a further reason to make its own. Intel is also moving towards integrating graphics cores onto its CPUs, providing another threat to Nvidia's graphics business. Putting both of those things together, analysts believe that could be enough for Nvidia to get into the x86 game.
''We believe Nvidia could enter the x86 CPU business,'' said analyst Doug Freedman of Broadpoint AmTech, in an EETimes story. ''Nvidia could become a supplier of x86 CPUs by necessity to preserve both GPU and chipset revenue.''
For a while, there was speculation that Nvidia would acquire or invest heavily into VIA Technologies for the company's CPU properties, but now Broadpoint AmTech believes it'll be an in-house job.
''We believe internally developed x86 solutions are more likely than external acquisitions (i.e. Via Technologies),'' Freedman said.
What could make things even more interesting is the analyst's belief that Nvidia has picked up talent from Transmeta: ''We believe that Nvidia has hired former Transmeta staff extensively, and that instruction code "morphing" requirements have declined as more x86 instructions have come off of patent coverage,'' he said.
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Even after some x86 instruction sets come off from patent list, I don't think green team can beat the intel in terms of speed because they still need to do morphing to some extent and that's clearly a disadvantage. AMD has been fighting on equal ground and still can't take over the speed crown. So I think nvidia can't target on speed minded consumers.
I'm just wondering if it isn't a little too late to start making x86 CPUs. They'll really be up against it if they do - even AMD hasn't come out with a true Atom competitor yet.
As much as I like Nvidia, I think they need to focus on doing what they do best.
What a brilliant idea! It's about time there was more choice of CPUs.
I'm sure if nvidia has all the manufacturing ready, it could easily produce CPUs. Come on nVIDIA!!!
I hope they do . Even if the Nvidia Cpus will be slower than intel's, I'd buy one . They could use an Nv GPU as a coprocesor on a complete NV platform to get better performance. I've seen many cases where a mediocre motherboard can make an Intel Cpu useless. So I hope they will.