http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/ Engadget Comments for NVIDIA to buy significant stake in VIA? http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 4:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 7:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 30th 2009 11:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 4:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 4:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 4:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 4:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 5:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/
In the same time Intel might sue AMD but can't remove cross license since AMD own license of ...

x86/64 that used in most Intel cpu - except Intel-atom for netbook -
memory controller - this part is need in every system to make cpu work -]]>Mar 28th 2009 6:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/
It really does not matter what you call it CPU or GPU or XPU. It's a processing unit and there are new programming models to take advantage of the proprieties of both processing units, like Standford's GRAMPS programming model, OpenCL, etc...

However since certain features are so cheap to do in one context vs the other is you don't have access to the x86 instruction set or a way to emulate it (very quickly) then you are going to run into trouble since most software is compiled for x86 (the mobile market being the exception).

With the movement to integrated systems like AMD fusion and Intel Larabee, we are more and more getting close to the SoC solution where you have cpu gpu and chipset all integrated into one, nVidia needs to get smart again (they behaved smart for many years) and stop with the childish quarrels with Intel.

Costumers will decide what is best, the Intel vs nVidia discussions are entertaining but also distracting from the fact that both companies have failed into adding truly innovative products to their catalogs. nVidia has gotten very laggard addressing there manufacturing issues and control quality that has been creating many millions of dollars in refunds, recalls and other non profitable activities, that tarnish the reputation of the company and it's products.

Another field that nVidia has been very late to the game is in the mobile and netbook segment. Tegra has been kicked around for almost 2 years now and still no products have come out. There is no SDK publicly available and nVidia seems to be totally apathetic about the situation.

The merger news if true are welcomed. I for one hope they are true, even though it means a couple of rough years for investors and a few hundred more qualified engineers getting the axe. ]]>Mar 28th 2009 1:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 5:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 5:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 2:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 5:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/
Have you ever seen the size of a GPU? Its massive.

Putting more stream processors, which are tiny calculation units, are the most important thing that for GPU's. That and refined paths. Thats why GPU's annihilate CPU's in terms of calculations per clock. It takes hundreds of CPU's to equal the calculation power of one GPU.]]>Mar 28th 2009 9:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 5:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 6:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 5:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 7:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 7:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 8:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/
there you go peeps :) Short,sweet and deadly.]]>Mar 28th 2009 8:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 9:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 12:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 30th 2009 10:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 8:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 10:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 8:48AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 10:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 11:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/
QUAD CORE VIA PROCESSORS COMING SOON!!!

pssst... it's a secret ^_^]]>Mar 28th 2009 12:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/]]>Mar 28th 2009 12:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 1:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/And when you think about it, getting all bulky and unmanageable large and becoming vulnerable is what is at the root of the decline, it's all the big boys going down that seems to be dragging the rest with them in their vortex.
]]>Mar 28th 2009 7:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 4:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 28th 2009 6:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/
First it was, 3dFx (kick ass Graphics Cards), next ULi (kick ass chipsets), Ageia, PortalPlayer, with rumors going around that nVIDIA would also buy a stake in AMD. There are more, but I don't know them all. With the exception of Ageia, nVIDIA seems to buy these companies and then let much of the technology just go stale. ]]>Mar 28th 2009 11:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/Mar 29th 2009 8:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/nvidia-to-buy-significant-stake-in-via/And Ageia wasn't really a competitor; they just happen to have something interesting that they can put on their own products.
I guess a good analogy is if a car company were to buy a company that made fuzzy dice.

ULi was to expand their southbridge market and probably had some IP they could use.
PortalPlayer....who knows where that tech went...maybe in one of their portable console chip parts or they just wanted to have an IP portfolio for it.
As far as 3dfx technology is concerned, SLi comes to mind (at least the concept).
And they did use the Rampage team on their GeForce FX line (which well...was a disaster for them)]]>Mar 29th 2009 2:26PM