Intel shares soar thanks to Nvidia investment
Intel and Nvidia unexpectedly entered into a partnership. Intel processors will feature GeForce RTX GPUs in future, Nvidia is investing 5 billion US dollars.
Nvidia's GB10 processor already consists of two chiplets: its own GPU and an ARM CPU from Mediatek. Intel will also supply CPU parts in the future.
(Image: Florian MĂĽssig / heise medien)
Nvidia is making a major move into Intel: Nvidia wants to buy Intel shares for five billion US dollars and also cooperate on processors. Intel will design systems-on-chips (SoCs) with its own x86 CPU cores and GeForce RTX graphics units from Nvidia. The latter are located on a separate chiplet that communicates with the CPU via Nvlink. The SoCs are intended for notebooks and desktop PCs.
For data centres, Intel will produce custom x86 processors based on Nvidia's specifications. Nvidia plans to integrate them into its own platforms, but also sell them individually to third-party companies. This move is less surprising than the end-user processors: Nvidia already uses Xeon processors in its DGX systems, and Intel has been emphasizing for years that it wants to sell customized CPUs to enterprise customers.
Nvidia could thus pursue a two-pronged approach: its own server boards consisting of CPU and GPU will carry self-designed ARM processors, while at least some large servers will come with Intel processors. The company currently still uses the ageing 64-core Grace, which is to be replaced by its successor Vera next year.
Upswing for x86 against ARM?
The two new partners have not announced a timeline. Realistically, it could be ready by 2027. Nvidia is already gaining experience with MediaTek in combining its own GPU chiplet with a third-party (ARM) CPU, but Intel still needs to release a Nvlink-capable CPU chiplet. The collaboration is likely just beginning with the Xeons.
This also makes the future of Windows on ARM exciting: until now, it looked as if Nvidia wanted to push ahead with ARM. With the Intel collaboration, x86 is gaining new momentum through Nvidia.
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Approval by US authorities still pending
Some questions remain unanswered, such as what the stock deal will look like. If it is similar to the US government's entry, Intel will issue new shares, thereby diluting the security. Nvidia will pay $23.28 per share, provided the US authorities give the green light.
Investors can nevertheless rejoice immediately: the news is so far-reaching that the stock promptly jumped by over 27 percent. This brings it to its highest price since July 2024.
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