Nvidia and MediaTek to enter the CPU race with 3nm 'AI PC' processor slated to be mass produced in 2025
Nvidia barging into the mainstream processor market in 2025 might not be exactly what anyone had on their tech bingo cards, but if a recent report is to be believed, something very similar appears to be on the horizon.
The graphics behemoth is no stranger to making CPUs - its ARM-based Grace CPU is an absolute monstrosity of a chip that has carved out its niche in the ever-so-lucrative data center space. Moreover, its Tegra line of processors is also quite popular, to say the least. It powers Nintendo's extremely popular Switch console, and rumor has it that it will be at the heart of its successor as well.
The previously mentioned 'leak' stems from a recent Weibo post by the user 'Mobile Chip Expert'. According to the post, MediaTek and Nvidia are collaborating on an 'AI PC' chip that will be manufactured on a 3nm process, and will reportedly boast a $300 price tag as pointed out by ITHome.
Unsurprisingly, the leaker adds that the chip will boast Nvidia graphics, which might give it an edge over AMD and Intel's iGPU solutions. The chip is expected to tape out later this month, and will enter mass production in the second half of 2025. Lenovo, HP, Dell, and ASUS have already shown interest in adopting the chip, if the Weibo post holds any merit.
Should this ambitious endeavor actually materialize, the desktop-class processor market will soon have five major players - Intel, AMD, Apple, Qualcomm, and now an Nvidia-Mediatek collaboration. It's wild to think that it wasn't that long ago when this segment was dominated by only two companies. But more competition invariably spells more good news for the end-user, so no complaints in that regard.
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