Techies and hardcore PC enthusiasts have known Nvidia for a long time that it has become a household name in the tech space. Sure, it had a fair share of both ups and downs, especially with the lack of supply on release for the RTX 3000 series cards and the issue with bots, but the company never fails to prove time and time again it provides quality graphics cards at all levels. And with growing competition from AMD’s Radeon division, it seems we have an exciting generation of tech waiting in store for the coming years.
However, if you had the opportunity to watch Nvidia’s most recent GTC Livestream, they had just unveiled their first entry into the data-center CPU market with an ARM-based CPU currently known as “Grace.” What seemed like a company that primarily focused on manufacturing GPUs for both large-scale rendering workloads and the average end-consumer now appears to be expanding in all directions with a new roadmap. Today we’ll be going over how this news affects us everyday consumers and the implications such a step forward could mean for the broader tech market.
#1 Its Specifications Surpass Current-Gen CPUs
Firstly, we need to acknowledge that the announced specifications for Nvidia’s new Grace ARM CPU currently outshines most specs of the current-gen server CPUs directed at HPC workloads and the like in the current market. And, considering that most professional-level servers utilize Nvidia’s top-of-the-line GPUs for Ai-learning and scalable systems, we could see a drastic shift from AMD’s Epyc CPUs in favor of Nvidia’s Grace for better compatibility and extra features. As a result, this announcement will undoubtedly drive competition and development through the roof, to compete with Nvidia at this level by its planned release in 2023.
- NVLink Gen4: One common issue that these large server ports often encounter is that, while their components are powerhouses by themselves, connectivity and the rate at which data was transferred and processed could never keep up with each other. However, since Nvidia’s Grace will feature the NVLink Gen4, the company promises that we can experience upwards of 900 GB/sec from the GPU-to-CPU interface. As tech continues to improve, we can expect these numbers to reach even further as machine and Ai-learning become the cornerstone of every business.
- LPDDR5X With ECC: Another stark improvement users can benefit from Nvidia’s Grace is access to LPDDR5X with ECC, meaning you get a more efficient memory bandwidth that promises upward of 500 GB/sec. As a result, professional research teams to high-level digital marketing will be capable of cloud computing, database management, and analytics at a much more efficient rate than before, with the freedom to scale systems while maintaining optimal workload performance.
#2 Nvidia’s Acquisition Of ARM Is Still On The Table
Secondly, we can’t forget that Nvidia is on track to acquire ARM and the offer of $40 billion is still on the table, waiting to pass and get approval from regulators. This acquisition will single-handedly put Nvidia at the top spot and indirectly be crowned as king because most tech manufacturers rely on ARM’s intellectual property and designs for most manufacturing processes. While Nvidia did mention that they have no plans to take this away from the current tech market, it gives the company excellent leverage and an absolute amount of resources at their disposal.
- Centralized Research & Development: Both Nvidia and ARM boast some of the most incredible talents in the tech space, from engineers to specialists in the semiconductor industry. And, the acquisition will help centralize research & development, combining the might of both companies. Therefore, the merger will give research teams from both sides access to new knowledge and key intellectual property to help them create and improve more.
#3 Opportunity To Expand To More Markets
Lastly, Nvidia’s move to unveil an ARM CPU shows their willingness to expand to more markets and capitalize on the opportunities available to them as one of the leading tech companies in today’s market. Therefore, it’s not that far of a speculation to say that Nvidia will reach further and create more CPUs if “Grace” becomes a huge success when it releases by 2023.
- RTX Graphics on ARM Laptops: Laptops and Chromebooks were never associated with strong graphics capabilities, but with recent talks between Nvidia and Mediatek, we might be seeing competitive RTX graphics come on board for ARM laptops. And with two more years before the release of “Grace,” we could see architecture utilized in the same way as Nvidia maximizes every opportunity they can get with the ARM acquisition.
An Ambitious Future Awaits Nvidia
Overall, an ambitious future awaits Nvidia, and as avid tech fans and consumers, we can’t wait to see what the company has lain in wait with its roadmap. Plus, with all these news and developments, Intel and AMD might even step up their game in the process.
