Nvidia invests in Intel to create custom x86 CPUs with RTX graphics
Nvidia to invest $5 billion in Intel as companies reach deal to create custom x86 CPUs
Nvidia and Intel have today announced that they are collaborating to create custom x86 CPUs that integrate Intel and Nvidia technologies. For AI, Nvidia and Intel are building custom x86 processors with Nvidia NVLink. This delivers the perks of x86 computing and deep integration into Nvidia’s AI ecosystem.
Alongside x86 processors for AI infrastructure, Intel and Nvidia plan to create x86 SOCs (System-On-Chips) that integrate Nvidia RTX GPU chiplets. This means that PC CPUs will be created with Intel x86 CPUs and Nvidia integrated graphics.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) and Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) today announced a collaboration to jointly develop multiple generations of custom data center and PC products that accelerate applications and workloads across hyperscale, enterprise and consumer markets.
The companies will focus on seamlessly connecting NVIDIA and Intel architectures using NVIDIA NVLink – integrating the strengths of NVIDIA’s AI and accelerated computing with Intel’s leading CPU technologies and x86 ecosystem to deliver cutting-edge solutions for customers.
For data centers, Intel will build NVIDIA-custom x86 CPUs that NVIDIA will integrate into its AI infrastructure platforms and offer to the market.
For personal computing, Intel will build and offer to the market x86 system-on-chips (SOCs) that integrate NVIDIA RTX GPU chiplets. These new x86 RTX SOCs will power a wide range of PCs that demand integration of world-class CPUs and GPUs.
NVIDIA will invest $5 billion in Intel’s common stock at a purchase price of $23.28 per share. The investment is subject to customary closing conditions, including required regulatory approvals.
“AI is powering a new industrial revolution and reinventing every layer of the computing stack – from silicon to systems to software. At the heart of this reinvention is NVIDIA’s CUDA architecture,” said NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang. “This historic collaboration tightly couples NVIDIA’s AI and accelerated computing stack with Intel’s CPUs and the vast x86 ecosystem – a fusion of two world-class platforms. Together, we will expand our ecosystems and lay the foundation for the next era of computing.”
“Intel’s x86 architecture has been foundational to modern computing for decades – and we are innovating across our portfolio to enable the workloads of the future,” said Lip-Bu Tan, CEO of Intel. “Intel’s leading data center and client computing platforms, combined with our process technology, manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities, will complement NVIDIA’s AI and accelerated computing leadership to enable new breakthroughs for the industry. We appreciate the confidence Jensen and the NVIDIA team have placed in us with their investment and look forward to the work ahead as we innovate for customers and grow our business.”
– Nvidia
This news is a significant development for Intel, as it is likely that these new x86 CPUs will be manufactured using Intel’s foundries. However, the impact of this move on Intel’s GPU ambitions is unclear. Will Intel continue to develop high-end GPU solutions if Nvidia’s integrated graphics becomes an option for them? Furthermore, what does this mean for Nvidia’s ARM-based CPUs? Will this deal kill off Nvidia’s planned N1 and N1X CPUs?
This deal has huge implications for both Intel and Nvidia. It also has huge consequences for AMD. AMD also produces CPUs with strong integrated graphics solutions. In the future, AMD will need to compete with chips that feature Intel CPU cores and Nvidia graphics. AMD will have to beat both companies at once if they want to deliver the best gaming chips.
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