[SOLVED] Why didn't Nvidia make CPU?

[Arwinpradiptan]

Hi. I know this question are preety weird.
But Intel and Amd make Cpu and Gpu.
I was wondering. Why didn't Nvidia follow them and make Cpu?
Because Nvidia Gpu are really powerful, Will their cpu be powerful if they decided to make one?
Isn't making cpu will more profitable for them?
Thankyou.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Nvidia doesn't have IP and licensing for making CPUs.

BTW AMD was making only CPUs before 2006. Only after acquisition of ATI Technologies they could start making GPUs too.

 

[TerryLaze]

Yeah nvidia wanted to get a x86 licence back in 2010-2011 from intel but was denied,now nvidia is trying to get ARM to be able to make CPUs.

 

[drea.drechsler]

Nvidia doesn't have IP and licensing for making CPUs.

BTW AMD was making only CPUs before 2006. Only after acquisition of ATI Technologies they could start making GPUs too.

Some feature sets may need it but I'm not so sure they'd need Intel licensing if going with a 'clean sheet' design. I have to imagine Nvidia just doesn't want to bear the extreme cost of coming up with a clean-sheet design that's x86 compatible and high performing.

Not that they'd worry about such technicalities for sale in China, but does Zhaoxin have licensing for their x86 CPU's? With state sponsorship cost wouldn't be an object to them.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I seem to remember that nVidia was interested in making an x86-based CPU but they decided that it wasn't worth trying to get in to the market that was so dominated by Intel and AMD. It turns out that it was the right decision because at the time that they were considering it, AMD was still selling FX CPUs. If they had invested the required resources into making x86 CPUs, the advent of Ryzen would have sent nVidia down the same path that Cyrix went and it would've crippled them as a corporation. Intel can much more easily take the hit than nVidia.

If nVidia wanted to really get into x86 CPU manufacturing, they didn't need to get a granted licence from Intel or AMD, they could have just bought out VIA Technologies. People forget that VIA does hold an AMD64 licence and if nVidia bought VIA (which it easily could), then it would've been game-on for their CPUs. I believe that nVidia manages to buy ARM, it will cost them far more than buying VIA would have.

 

[digitalgriffin]

Hi. I know this question are preety weird.
But Intel and Amd make Cpu and Gpu.
I was wondering. Why didn't Nvidia follow them and make Cpu?
Because Nvidia Gpu are really powerful, Will their cpu be powerful if they decided to make one?
Isn't making cpu will more profitable for them?
Thankyou.

x86 instruction set is copyrighted. Intel owns it and allowed AMD to use it. This was to secure gov't defense contracts. (Critical defense components were frowned upon being in the hands of one company which could go under.) So Intel gave the license to AMD so they could satisfy gov't requirements.

NVIDIA doesn't have access to such a license.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Nvidia has made ARM CPUs in jetsons and such.

 

[King_V]

They went into motherboard chipsets for a few years. Then bailed out of it. Don't really know why.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Licensing. Eventually, Intel pull the licensing plug on allowing them to make chipsets.

 

[RodroX]

Right now nvidia have lots of great porducts and its a really a huge company already.

They already have an big part of the most important IT segments, including server, workstation and desktop, I think they are ok for now.

 

[TerryLaze]

Not that they'd worry about such technicalities for sale in China, but does Zhaoxin have licensing for their x86 CPU's? With state sponsorship cost wouldn't be an object to them.

If nVidia wanted to really get into x86 CPU manufacturing, they didn't need to get a granted licence from Intel or AMD, they could have just bought out VIA Technologies. People forget that VIA does hold an AMD64 licence and if nVidia bought VIA (which it easily could), then it would've been game-on for their CPUs. I believe that nVidia manages to buy ARM, it will cost them far more than buying VIA would have.

https://www.tomshardware.com/features/zhaoxin-kx-u6780a-x86-cpu-tested

Details are scarce, but the fabless Zhaoxin consists of a joint venture between the Shanghai Municipal Government, which invested 80% of the company's initial capital, and Taiwanese VIA Technologies, which provided 20%. This partnership structure purportedly allows Chinese government-controlled interests to design x86 processors while staying within the legal boundaries of licensing agreements.

 

[digitalgriffin]

I seem to remember that nVidia was interested in making an x86-based CPU but they decided that it wasn't worth trying to get in to the market that was so dominated by Intel and AMD. It turns out that it was the right decision because at the time that they were considering it, AMD was still selling FX CPUs. If they had invested the required resources into making x86 CPUs, the advent of Ryzen would have sent nVidia down the same path that Cyrix went and it would've crippled them as a corporation. Intel can much more easily take the hit than nVidia.

If nVidia wanted to really get into x86 CPU manufacturing, they didn't need to get a granted licence from Intel or AMD, they could have just bought out VIA Technologies. People forget that VIA does hold an AMD64 licence and if nVidia bought VIA (which it easily could), then it would've been game-on for their CPUs. I believe that nVidia manages to buy ARM, it will cost them far more than buying VIA would have.

Yes and No.

Many of the advanced features and instruction sets offered now are not covered by x86 licensing. Thus if VIA tried to manufacture something like AVX512 instructions, they would get their hand slapped.

Plus as someone else mentioned, they are mostly owned by the Chinese gov't, and I doubt China would give up that licensing without a fight. (Even if the licensing has done them little good. China has crap far as x86 processors and node mfg goes. They are a good 5 to 10 years behind.

 

[TerryLaze]

Yes and No.

Many of the advanced features and instruction sets offered now are not covered by x86 licensing. Thus if VIA tried to manufacture something like AVX512 instructions, they would get their hand slapped.

Actually everything before 586 has expired already but this stuff is so old that it is completely worthless.The only reason china went with VIA is to not start from completely scrap but to have a already working base to expand upon.
To make anything that would be viable on the free market you have to get licenced IP.