NVIDIA is interested in expanding its footprint in the console space by supplying chips for Microsoft and Sony’s next-generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles, according to new statements that analyst Jon Peddie made on the heels of a report that suggests NVIDIA is developing a new business unit focused on custom chips, including advanced AI processors, for cloud computing firms and more. The PS3, which was released in November 2006, features a GeForce 7800-based GPU called the RSX (“Reality Synthesizer”), while the original Xbox leveraged the GeForce 3-based “XGPU.”
XGPU boasted:
- 233 MHz core clock
- 64 MB of DDR SDRAM
- 200 MHz memory clock
RSX boasted:
- 550 MHz pixel shader clock / 500 MHz vertex shader clock
- 256 MB GDDR3 RAM
- 650 MHz memory clock
Peddie mentioned:
- “NVIDIA is of course interested in expanding its footprint in consoles – right now they are supplying the biggest selling console supplier, and are calling on Microsoft and Sony every week to try and get back in.”
- “NVIDIA was in the first Xbox, and in PlayStation 3. But AMD has a cost-performance advantage with their APUs, which NVIDIA hopes to match with Grace. And since Windows runs on Arm, NVIDIA has a shot at Microsoft. Sony’s custom OS would not be much of a challenge for NVIDIA.”
Reuters on the reasoning behind NVIDIA’s new division:
The dominant global designer and supplier of AI chips aims to capture a portion of an exploding market for custom AI chips and shield itself from the growing number of companies pursuing alternatives to its products.
According to estimates from research firm 650 Group’s Alan Weckel, the data center custom chip market will grow to as much as $10 billion this year, and double that in 2025.
NVIDIA’s custom chip clients may include:
- Amazon
- Meta
- Microsoft
- OpenAI
Reuters added:
Nintendo’s current Switch handheld console already includes Nvidia’s Tegra X1 chip. A new version of the Switch console expected this year is likely to include a Nvidia custom design, one source said.