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Rumor Mill: Nvidia unveiled a supercomputer for personal use, sparking speculations that it is preparing to enter into the consumer CPU market. Nvidia’s strong credentials in AI and graphics technologies could help bring competition and innovation to a market that has been dominated for years by a few large players.
Nvidia’s Project Digits, announced at CES 2025, has sparked speculation regarding its entry into consumer CPUs. The $3,000 personal AI computer features the new GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip – a 20-core CPU developed in collaboration with MediaTek.
Project Digits offers an astonishing one petaflop AI computing power, roughly 1,000 times faster than the average laptop. This performance level was previously only available in large data centers and specialized facilities. Now, users can run AI models up to 200 billion variables locally, without relying on cloud resources. The device is compact and comparable to a brick in size, despite its high power. Project Digits, however, is not a product for mass-market. It runs on a custom Linux platform tailored for AI developers. At $3,000, it is more of a tool for advanced AI than a consumer device.
Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang hinted at the broader ambitions of the new CPU during a presentation to investors. Huang teased “You know, obviously we have plans,” while refusing to provide specific details. He also said that he will “wait to tell you” the plans, which fueled further speculation about Nvidia’s strategy.
Huang hinted that MediaTek could bring the CPU to the market independently, creating a situation he described as “great win-win” . This collaboration could have a significant impact on the competitive CPU market.
Nvidia is making its moves at a time when the PC processor market is undergoing a dramatic shift. Qualcomm’s Arm-based Snapdragon X Elite chipsets have made significant gains, demonstrating performance and efficiency comparable to Apple MacBooks. These advances have put pressure on the traditional x86 system from Intel and AMD. Nvidia’s entrance coincides with Qualcomm’s expiration of exclusive agreements in the Arm PC sector, which opens opportunities for new competitors.
The year 2024 marked the turning point in Windows on Arm. The platform finally realized its potential. Nvidia, among others, could make 2025 a pivotal date in the ongoing war between x86 architectures and Arm architectures.
Huang revealed Nvidia’s plans to bridge a gap between Linux, which is the preferred operating system of AI developers, and Microsoft Windows (which dominates the consumer markets). The company plans to leverage Microsoft’s Windows Subsystems for Linux technology to develop a product that supports the two platforms seamlessly.
“We’re going to make that a mainstream product,” Huang added, Nvidia would support it with its professional-grade software.