Graphics card maker NVIDIA is finding it all the more difficult to reach out to potential customers. The chipset division was put on ice when license agreements ran out and the competition on the graphics card market is tougher than ever. Rumors are now going around that the company is going to try again with integrated chipsets.
According to sources at motherboard makers NVIDIA is developing a chip that houses functions for a southbridge but also a graphics circuit. The idea is to develop a circuit that will be cheaper to use than competing solutions from e.g. Intel. The venture started after Intel’s settlement with the FTC, which was predicted to open new doors for NVIDIA.
The problems with Intel’s DMI and QPI licenses are still there, something NVIDIA will work around by using PCI Express instead. A similar technology is found in ION 2 that works with Intel Atom. The information published by DigiTimes says that NVIDIA will be targeting Intel motherboard partners buying Intel’s Cougar Point chipset but without the chipset, and then get NVIDIA’s solution to save money.
According to DigiTimes, NVIDIA denies the rumors and says there are no such plans. If this is definitive or not remains to be seen, but this is most likely not the last time we will hear about this.
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