14 DAY TRIAL // When thinking of NVIDIA, the first thing that might pop into the minds of most end-users is the fact that the hardware maker still hasn't launched its DirectX 11 cards and that it is rather secretive about them. However, one should not forget the progress that the Santa Clara GPU maker has made in other areas, especially that of mobile computing. NVIDIA introduced the next-generation ION, for netbooks, at CeBIT, and has another device that might score just as well or even better on the market, namely the new Tegra SoC.
The Tegra is NVIDIA's system-on-chip that the company developed for the mobile-handset and consumer electronics markets. The first version was not as successful as the company might have liked, but, since then, the GPU maker has refined it and redesigned it as the Tegra 2.
This SoC claims to easily handle even 1080p HD video content, as well as Flash and multitasking, even while consuming a low amount of power. NVIDIA is quite confident in its technology and, while products based on it have yet to be launched, the platform should eventually come to power most mobile and tablet products, except Apple's iPad, if based on its maker's own ARM chip.
NVIDIA's Chief Executive Officer, Jen-Hsun Huang, outlined the company's plans and expectations for the tablet and mobile sectors in an interview with CNN. The CEO's optimism is not exactly surprising, especially considering the fact that the iPad, or at least the one that is currently known, cannot run Flash and is also incapable of multitasking. Tegra-based devices, while also powered by the ARM architecture, will possess both of these abilities, this being the main reason why the GPU maker believes in the success of its technology.
Clearly, NVIDIA has no intention of being defined solely by its graphics processors. Mr. Huang also noted that the Tegra was already shipping in systems and that the Tegra 2 chip was already developed, which means that a product based on it shouldn't be too far off.