Nvidia to Launch AI PC Chip with Arm and Blackwell

According to recent reports by The Register, industry rumors suggest that Nvidia is preparing to unveil a groundbreaking chip that integrates the next-generation Arm Cortex CPU cores with its Blackwell GPU cores. This chip is poised to target the burgeoning AI PC devices sector, particularly those running Windows on Arm, potentially signaling heightened competition in this dynamic market segment.

Despite Qualcomm's longstanding efforts to drive adoption of Arm architecture chips suitable for Windows systems, success has been elusive until Apple's Arm-based M-series processors found widespread acclaim in Mac PCs. This success has emboldened confidence within the Windows on Arm ecosystem. At a recent Microsoft developer conference, Qualcomm, in collaboration with Microsoft and OEM manufacturers, introduced a compelling lineup of "Copilot+ PC" devices based on Qualcomm Snapdragon X processors and Windows OS. Concurrently, Microsoft debuted its latest Surface Laptop and Surface Pro tablets powered by these chips. Qualcomm has announced that its OEM partners are gearing up to launch 20 "Copilot+ PC" devices.

However, preceding reports suggest that the exclusive collaboration agreement between Microsoft and Qualcomm concerning Arm platform Windows is set to expire this year. This implies that Microsoft Windows will be accessible to other Arm chip manufacturers. Reports also suggest that MediaTek plans to enter the Windows PC market with Arm-based chips, following its success with Chromebooks.

In the latest development, rumors abound regarding Nvidia's entry into this arena. It's reported that the GPU giant is poised to unveil a System-on-Chip (SoC) integrating Arm's cutting-edge Cortex-X5 core with its innovative Blackwell GPU architecture.

While Arm has remained silent on these rumors, Nvidia has stated that there are no announcements to be made at present.

Considering Nvidia's leading position in cloud-based artificial intelligence and the emerging trend of generative AI moving from the cloud to edge computing, Nvidia aims to leverage its robust GPU capabilities and the expertise gained through its in-house Grace Arm CPU to penetrate the Arm Windows PC market. This move is especially significant amid the wave of PC upgrades catalyzed by generative AI-driven PCs.

Despite the apparent incongruity of using Blackwell GPU for PC-oriented Arm SoCs, being Nvidia's latest high-performance GPU design, reports suggest that Nvidia may employ its forthcoming consumer-focused RTX GPU based on Blackwell architecture, alongside LPDDR6 memory support.

Following the successful launch of Cortex-X4 last year, Arm's Cortex-X5, codenamed Blackhawk, is poised to become the high-performance core of choice for smartphones and laptops. While not formally announced, it is anticipated to deliver a substantial performance boost over existing Arm Cortex-X4 cores.