NVIDIA may be about to go after Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm in providing CPUs for PCs running Microsoft"s Windows operating system. A new report from Reuters, citing unnamed sources, claims NVIDIA is designing Windows CPUs using technology from Arm.
The report claims that NVIDIA"s first Arm-based Windows CPUs could launch as soon as 2025. The same report claims AMD is also designing its own Arm-based processor that could also launch around the same time as NVIDIA"s CPUs.
Back in 2016, Microsoft announced an agreement with Qualcomm to develop Arm-based CPUs that would run Windows 10. Today"s Reuters article claims that the agreement also stated Qualcomm had the exclusive rights to make Arm-based CPUs for Windows PCs until 2024.
If that"s accurate, that could be the reason why both NVIDIA and AMD, which have previously made GPUs for Windows PCs, may be ready to enter the Arm CPU PC business.
AMD, of course, has been making x86-based CPUs for Windows PCs for decades. However, this would be a somewhat new hardware territory for NVIDIA to enter. In addition to desktop GPUs for Windows, which have been marketed for high-end PC gamers, it has been making a ton of revenue making GPUs for data centers that run generative AI services like Microsoft"s Bing Chat.
Microsoft has been putting more emphasis on developers to make Windows apps that can run on Arm-based CPUs. Last week, it announced a new Arm Advisory Service to assist developers in making Arm-based Windows apps from the ground up or help with porting x86 Windows apps to work on Arm CPUs.
On Tuesday, Qualcomm will be holding its annual technology summit in Hawaii. It has already revealed it will officially announce details about its upcoming Arm-based Qualcomm X Series CPUs for Windows PCs during the summit. Reuters reports that Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft"s vice president of Windows and Devices, will be attending the Qualcomm Summit.