Nvidia and MediaTek are rumoured to co-develop an Arm-based chip for PCs. The duo aims to join the recently announced Snapdragon X Elite by powering efficient yet performant laptops that can be used longer without needing to be charged multiple times a day.
Lately, the Arm-based PC market has seen some noticeable performance promises with products such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite. Seeing the potential of this segment, Nvidia and MediaTek have reportedly decided to join forces on an Arm chip of their own. This hypothetical chip should benefit from both brands’ expertise, i.e. MediaTek’s efficient mobile CPUs and Nvidia’s robust GPU architecture.
The chip is expected to be larger and more powerful than the Snapdragon X Elite, putting its cost at around $300. Additionally, with AI still going strong, the processsor will surely carry some sort of NPU to drive it. You can bet the latter will have enough horsepower to enable advanced AI features, unlike early ones that targeted basic image modification or voice recognition. We can also expect the integration of upscaling and frame generation, be it for gaming or media, backed by Nvidia’s years of experience in this domain.
While the desktop segment doesn’t risk much yet from Arm solutions, seeing how x86 struggles to deliver efficient processors for mobile use leaves the door wide open for Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Nvidia to enter. Just look at how Apple managed to switch its entire stack to the Arm-based M series of processors, netting them impressive efficiency and control over their products.
Now regarding timing, though the design may be complete before the end of this year, production isn’t expected until 2025. This leaves time for Qualcomm to prepare a counterattack, not to forget other brands that may want a piece of this cake. In any case, we seem to be entering a new age for mobile devices, free of constant charging.