Nvidia thinks CPU will have place in the sun

THERE WAS LOTS of speculation on the Nvidia CPU the other day, not least of which was mine. Since then, the picture has become clearer.

One of the main things is the leader of Stexar, Randy Steck, did not go to Nvidia, just a lot of his team. I am not sure this means anything more than exactly that, he is not at Nvidia.

For the CPU itself, it looks as if it is not an X86 part, but that is not a certainty. Several sources tell us it is going to be an extension of the GoForce line. This under appreciated chip could use a leg up, it has potential but few market wins that I know of. It looks like Nvidia decided to take that market seriously again.

This means that Nvidia now has the power to compete with Intel and AMD, but maybe not the will, and definitely not the patents. Where will this leave it once Larrabee and Fusion hit? I can't see it ending happily, but Nvidia seems to think there is a niche to occupy.

Last up, we heard that in addition to the big four with x86 licences, Intel, AMD, IBM and NatSemi, Via may have one, and ST Micro is in a very bright part of the grey area. µ