[VRNews]

This is a rumour that has surfaced and died several times, and it has resurfaced again. However, this time, there is more evidence than usual. Over the last year or two, Nvidia have spent a lot of time and effort into marketing stream computing. GPUs, or parallel processors, are significantly more powerful than their CPU counterparts. However, parallel processors can only process specific instructions, and a CPU is still required for general processing. So, as much as Nvidia would convince consumers about the benefits of GPU, there is no doubt a GPU would be useless were it not run together with a CPU. Recently, Nvidia reportedly presented a CPU+GPU for 2017. AMD Fusion is all about the same central idea - a GPU and a CPU on one die. Though Intel will be the first with a GPU and a CPU on one package, they will be on different dies, and the GPU will be a weak Intel IGP anyway. Now, rumours are suggesting Nvidia are keen to not be left behind by the CPU+GPU revolution, and are developing x86 CPUs. More details next page.


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[Rumour] Nvidia developing x86 CPU?

[shard]

Nvidia cannot officially make X86 CPUs unless Intel gives/sells them a license. They can't even buy a company with an existing license because the licenses are non transferable.

[LoNgMaO]

Looks like the company that have the best of both world will be AMD+ATI =)

[DavidC1]

"Though Intel will be the first with a GPU and a CPU on one package, they will be on different dies, and the GPU will be a weak Intel IGP anyway."

Oh we'll see by end of this year. They are steam rolling with their GPUs, but almost opposite is happening on the integrated GPU department. However, that is going to change very quickly.

[FreezinDevil]

Who gives a damn when nvidia can't even do their GPUs right (Fermi)? The company will just start to sink on the GPU side once they run out of "fanbuoys".

[techniqu]

well...considering intel owns x86 and nvidia just created a website bashing intel intel insides...i doubt this rumor is true.

[Neo_XF]

I'm surprised intellectual property is still protected for such WORLDWIDE-IMPORTANT MATTERS such as PC microprocessors to this day...

Seriously, either Intel release the rights to it somehow, or (someone) make common ground research committee to establish a new universal arhitecture for personal computers (and beyond, why not)... that, or Intel can keep on being raped by the EU and whatnot other powers that think they're not playing fair (and oddly... are correct ), CPU keep on sucking, and customers keep on suffering in a bi-monopolitic market.

Which is why in 20 years we'll all see that private space travel research > NASA/ESA...

[techniqu]

but your analogy is the opposite of what you want from intel....

intel designed x86 and is a private company aka private research. creating a new, open universal instruction set would be "nasa", since it's government run and not privately owned.

also, a universal, open architecture would have to be supported by private companies like amd and intel....and they would never do something like that to even the playing field.

[power666]

Actually there are several open architectures available under licenses similar to the GPL. The catch is that the architecture has to remain open so any changes are publicly known. Considering that some designs are specific to a manufacturing process, not everyone is so keen on using a readily available design.

As for x86 specifically, I think the licensing issue has more do with the hardware implementation than the more abstract nature of the instruction set itself. That is how Transmeta was able to side step the issue entirely as they used a mix of hardware and software based emulation for their VLIW processor designs.

I really, really do wish that something like Transmeta's design would surface again. Run x86 code for backwards compatibility with older software while running native VLIW code for improved performance. Ironically, Intel had their own VLIW design that they projected to replace the x86 line but that failed horribly. I do think that the opportunity for such a hybrid architecture to appear has nearly passed with x86's dominance at the desktop. The current approach to general purpose computing on video cards is likely the next and possibly the last shot to do a smooth migration off of the x86 architecture. Everything else to get the world off of x86 is going to be painful... if that ever happens at all.

AMD seems to be doing some research in the same area as Transmeta was a decade ago. Intel got access to several Transmeta patents as part of a settlement in a lawsuit (and I think AMD got them to due to cross licensing).

[watzup_ken]

I do feel Nvidia is feeling in a tight situation here.