Nvidia, a maker of graphics chips, on Friday announced plans to create a version of its nForce chipset for Intel processor PCs. That's something Nvidia couldn't legally do in the past but can do now, thanks to a broad patent swap with Intel.
A chipset is a PC's nervous system; it stewards data as it travels through the machine. The patent swap will help give the chipmaker access to a broader swath of the chipset market. Nvidia--along with ATI Technologies, its rival in the market for graphics chips--entered the PC chipset business several years ago in an effort to remain competitive as desktop and notebook PC makers moved to so-called integrated graphics chipsets, which incorporate graphics processors.
News source: C|Net News.com
