Nvidia is not content to simply dominate the GPU market. According to a Wall Street Journal report, it’s prepping a system-on-chip that integrates the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU) and neural processing unit (NPU) for consumer laptops. And we could see laptops from Dell and Lenovo with this new silicon in just a few months.
Nvidia and MediaTek partner for Arm chip
Nvidia is partnering with MediaTek to build this new chip. Like system-on-chips (SoC) from Qualcomm and Apple, it will be based on Arm architecture as opposed to the x86 architecture used by Intel and AMD. And unlike high-end gaming and creator laptops with dedicated Nvidia GeForce RTX GPUs, laptops with this new Nvidia-designed, MediaTek-manufactured SoC are expected to be thin and light and long running. The new chips will reportedly be labeled as N1 and N1X.
The vast majority of laptops with the best battery life that I’ve tested in the past year have used an Arm-based chip from Qualcomm or Apple, so I expect laptops based on this upcoming Nvidia SoC to offer fantasy battery life. Given Nvidia’s prowess with graphics processors, the biggest question I have is how much power can we expect from the integrated GPU in this new chip? Will we see thin-and-light designs that offer long battery life and strong graphics performance, up to and including the ability to play AAA titles at reasonable resolutions and quality settings?
While Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops offer lengthy battery life, they are typically lacking in graphics performance. Compatibility with games is improving for Arm but still isn’t as universal as x86. With Nvidia’s deep ties to gaming developers from its RTX GPUs, it certainly would make sense that its Arm-based chip could further accelerate Arm compatibility.
The HP OmniBook 5 14 features an Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processor and is the current laptop battery life king. How will laptops with the Nvidia/MediaTek chip measure up?
Nvidia and Intel team up for x86 chip
An earlier Wall Street Journal report says that Nvidia is also partnering with Intel on an x86 chip that will integrate an Intel CPU with a GPU and NPU from Nvidia. This is another avenue toward arriving at a day where gaming laptops with an iGPU are able to provide the power for 3D gaming. Without the thermal and power demands of a dedicated graphics processor, the design can be much thinner and lighter and with greater efficiency for longer battery life.
Intel’s new Panther Lake mobile processors show promise of offering power plus efficiency. The first Panther Lake laptop I reviewed, the MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI, ran for more than 25 hours on a single charge while also offering respectable 3D framerates. The timing is less clear on when we may see Intel and Nvidia’s chip, but I am already curious to find out how it will compare to Intel’s own Panther Lake processors.
For decades, Windows laptop shoppers had two choices: Intel or AMD. A couple years ago, Qualcomm provided a third option with its Arm-based Snapdragon X series chips. And now Nvidia will add a fourth choice, with both with Arm- and x86-based chips on the horizon. Dell and Lenovo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
