Nvidia's Next Chapter
I wrote this article for the latest issue of Custom PC Magazine in the U.K. Here is an extended version of it - it's about Nvidia and their next chapter.
About a year ago Nvidia pulled the unthinkable when they broke the news that they would not be supporting Hybrid Graphics with any non-Nvidia branded chipset. What seemed like a direct hit against Intel Centrino didn’t stop there. Nvidia also gave Intel the finger when they said that SLI would only be supported on Nvidia based chipsets. Clearly Nvidia drew a line in the sand suggesting that they too would get into the platform business. Nvidia wants more, and they have Intel dead in their sites.
I concluded awhile ago that Nvidia likely pissed Intel off and no matter what anyone tells you the writing is on the wall – Intel will push back hard, and I am certain that they will do whatever they can to position their next generation graphics as leading edge.
More proof of their somewhat dysfunctional relationship was evident during the launch of the Intel 45nm parts. The bottom line is Nvidia was nowhere to be seen because you could not stably operate an Intel 45nm processor on an nForce motherboard. Some suspected that Intel didn’t communicate things to Nvidia until the last minute, while others think there is more to the story than meets the eye.
Let’s face it, it’s not like Nvidia to screw up – they rarely do. It seems to me like they have written their future based on the strategic choices that they made. Even more weird is to see ATI and Intel work together on certain configurations. I call them ATI in the article because Intel refuses to refer to ATI graphics as AMD graphics.
The landscape continues to get interesting as Intel acquired Havok Physics who both AMD (ATI) and Nvidia have been pushing as the greatest physics API ever. They both have suggested that Ageia sucks. What a wallop (and a laugh) when Intel purchased Havok from under them.
So what does Nvidia do? They buy the one company that they have been bashing ever since it started – Ageia. Hey, I think it’s a great move for Nvidia, and who cares if they bashed them as competitors. It’s stayed the course even in the most desperate of times - they deserve to be in the seat they’re in now.
It’s almost clear to me what the next logical move for Nvidia will be. Think about it. They need to expand their ecosystem. They have now have control over one of the best chipsets, arguably some of the best graphics, some of the best software, a new ESA standard, and now physics. All they need now is solid state storage, wireless, and a CPU. Take your pick.
About a year ago Nvidia pulled the unthinkable when they broke the news that they would not be supporting Hybrid Graphics with any non-Nvidia branded chipset. What seemed like a direct hit against Intel Centrino didn’t stop there. Nvidia also gave Intel the finger when they said that SLI would only be supported on Nvidia based chipsets. Clearly Nvidia drew a line in the sand suggesting that they too would get into the platform business. Nvidia wants more, and they have Intel dead in their sites.
I concluded awhile ago that Nvidia likely pissed Intel off and no matter what anyone tells you the writing is on the wall – Intel will push back hard, and I am certain that they will do whatever they can to position their next generation graphics as leading edge.
More proof of their somewhat dysfunctional relationship was evident during the launch of the Intel 45nm parts. The bottom line is Nvidia was nowhere to be seen because you could not stably operate an Intel 45nm processor on an nForce motherboard. Some suspected that Intel didn’t communicate things to Nvidia until the last minute, while others think there is more to the story than meets the eye.
Let’s face it, it’s not like Nvidia to screw up – they rarely do. It seems to me like they have written their future based on the strategic choices that they made. Even more weird is to see ATI and Intel work together on certain configurations. I call them ATI in the article because Intel refuses to refer to ATI graphics as AMD graphics.
The landscape continues to get interesting as Intel acquired Havok Physics who both AMD (ATI) and Nvidia have been pushing as the greatest physics API ever. They both have suggested that Ageia sucks. What a wallop (and a laugh) when Intel purchased Havok from under them.
So what does Nvidia do? They buy the one company that they have been bashing ever since it started – Ageia. Hey, I think it’s a great move for Nvidia, and who cares if they bashed them as competitors. It’s stayed the course even in the most desperate of times - they deserve to be in the seat they’re in now.
It’s almost clear to me what the next logical move for Nvidia will be. Think about it. They need to expand their ecosystem. They have now have control over one of the best chipsets, arguably some of the best graphics, some of the best software, a new ESA standard, and now physics. All they need now is solid state storage, wireless, and a CPU. Take your pick.
6 comments:
Why do you not, publish the full content in your RSS? Is it for the money? We can donate :)
Hehe :)
I'd love to learn how - if you can tell me how to do it with Feedburner then I'll do it.
Thanks!
Nah, I don't think Intel tried to screw with nVidia at the 45nm launch. That was nVidia's blunder. They aren't enemies here, I don't think that's an accurate picture to paint. Yes, their business crosses over in some segments, but these are two very different companies, and that HAVE to work together, and do very nicely, imo. Consider the fact that Intel at the very same time as the 780i launch was developing Skulltrail using nVidia's technology. I doubt taking pot shots at each other like that would be very lucrative.
Now, we all know what needs to happen. Nvidia needs to buy AMD. They're cheap, Nvida has just enough cash. Not will they get all the processor technology that AMD has, but they'll have ATI too, which theyll squash and steal its technology. Then, It'd probably come to an Intel-Nvidia war. Intel will launch GPU cards and things will get really black and white. of course, I'd always buy Nvidia ^.^
nVidia is walking a very thin line and playing a very dangerous game. If I were them, I will be very carefull. We all have seen what happen to AMD when it pissed off Intel. Yeah, they are not a $20B company anymore.
nVidia has to play very smart here because Nehalem is coming out soon and boy you do not want to miss making good chipsets for this Monster.
if Larabee is as successful as Intel wants it to be, bye bye for the ARM architecture and that would be marginalizing nVidia.. Trust me, DELL is coming back to be Intel's big boy again and that what would hurt nVidia badly.
The best architecture may not win all the time.. Recalculate your Risks nVidia!
D'man doesn't know much. Larrabee is going to be a GPGPU with a pretty wide TDP range, not a low-power competitor to ARM.
Silverthorne is the competitor to some of the ARM offerings.
These days it is just "business as usual" to do business in certain segments with your competitor in other segments. Intel still does business with ATI, afterall.
It doesn't mean that Intel and nVidia aren't looking at each other sideways though, especially in the late 2009-2010 timeframe.
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