In regard to Atom processors

May 19, 2009 09:56 GMT  ·  By

After the EU Commission's ruling against chip giant Intel and AMD's praising of the decision, it appears that NVIDIA has also taken the opportunity to express its discontent with some of Intel's business practices. According to a recent news report, NVIDIA's chief executive officer, Jen-Hsun Huang, has taken the chance to call Intel's chip pricing unfair, in regard to the manufacturer's pricing scheme for the Atom processors. Despite the harsh statement, NVIDIA's CEO continued by saying that his company would not seek an antitrust action against the world's largest chip maker, at least not at this time.

 

Currently, Santa Clara, California-based Intel is selling its low-powered Atom chip for US$45, for those who want to buy the processor alone. However, as part of a bundle that includes a three-chip set, the Atom is priced at US$25.

 

In a recent news article, Reuters reports that Mr. Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA CEO, has recently talked about Intel's pricing policy for the Atom processors. “That seems pretty unfair,” Huang said to Reuters. “We ought to be able to compete and serve that market.”

 

However, NVIDIA isn't currently looking for another legal dispute with Chipzilla, according to him. “I hope it doesn't come down to that,” he said, adding, “We have to do whatever we have to do when the time comes. We really hope this company (Intel) will compete on a fair basis.”

 

According to the same news report, Intel's Bill Calder said that the company's pricing was correct and further emphasized previous statements according to which Intel competed fairly.

 

“We compete fairly. We do not force bundles on any computer makers and customers can purchase Atom individually or as part of the bundle," said Bill Calder, a spokesman for Intel. "If you want to purchase the chip set, obviously there is better pricing.”