Nvidia is currently working on developing their own cpu processor, to go with their video cards. At the rate the technology is advancing, consumer products, that is products consumers can afford, will not have separate processors and graphics for more than ten years or so. AMD’s current offerings include an apu almost as good as a PS4 and, once they can squeeze about 26-40tf onto a single chip that’s enough for almost any consumer applications. A Star Trek style holodeck is estimated to require about 160tf.
They would have to get windows support and windows still needs x86.
Uhm … sure.
Why not? …
There are already enthusiasts with over 100tf in their rig.
Weeeellllll… Technically, no. There is Windows 10 IOT edition or whatever they’re calling it, which runs on the Raspberry Pi, arm64.
One way or another, I know what you were expressing, the need for x86 because of gamesexisting software. They’re going to have to license X86 from Intel and the 64 bit extensions from AMD. It’s going to be an expensive endeavour, but I think they’re aware of and willing to swallow the costs.
They might just buy VIA. Don’t they still have licenses?
I barely know anything about VIA. I can’t answer that.
I believe the even still have processors you can buy, just not popular in the mainstream in anyway.
They have designs listed on Wikipedia up to 2011:
Interesting. If that’s the case, they’re definitely an option for Nvidia.
Haven’t seen any indication Nvidia is making their own CPUs. They are of course licensing ARM designs for Tegra, which is used in the Nintendo Switch and Nvidia ShieldTV devices as well as Nvidia Drive, their quite successful autonomous car platform.
It’s a bit subtle, but there’s a difference between licensing the ARM instruction set and making your own CPUs that run it, which is what Apple does, and using ARM designs in your own CPUs, which is what Nvidia does. The former is a ton more work, but you have a lot more flexibility, which is why Apple SoCs are so much faster than Samsung, Qualcomm, and Nvidia SoCs even though they all run the same instruction set. Not speaking of GPU there obviously.
They are still comparatively very far behind. An option sure but not a realistic one for what they could want.
They might be able to get them on the cheap and I think it would be mainly for their license agreements.
That is what I had in mind. Spend money once, be free to do whatever.
We would end up with three companies capable of designing x86 and GPU hardware.
VIA signed a 10 year x86 instruction set license with Intel in 2003, with a 3 year grace period after it expired. They can’t produce x86-compatible CPUs post-2016, unless they signed another license and then didn’t tell anyone about it, which seems unlikely.
They still do have the means to force Intel to sign another license, though, as they own several patents Intel needs. That’s how they got the license in the first place. So buying VIA would still be one way to get your hands on the x86 instruction set.
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I believe also, that while VIA have access to x86 it is by the graces of Intel and AMD. Not that they are self contained and supporting. VIA license the use rights from them, so nVidia would likely not get x86 even if they bought VIA, the deals would be canceled and while they would now posses the hardware they would not be able to legally make or advance x86 themselves.
EDIT: Ah so thats why no new ones past 2011, thanks @Ruffalo
VIA can definitely still manufacture x86 CPUs. There was talk about a comeback not long ago:
Back when there were rumors of Samsung buying AMD Intel was quick to point out that doing so will invalidate their license to produce x86 machines. Not sure how this works legally, but something similar may be in place with VIA.
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It probably flew under the radar, or they just don’t give a shit.
Intel is notoriously litigious, so they must have signed another cross-patent license.
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Those Quad core ones are still pre 2011 CPUs so before the agreement ran out, but then out of the past comes the future thanks to @pFtpr
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HardOCP deserves a ton of kudos for bringing this to light. I hope a full contract gets leaked so we can see the details to cement the details.
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