Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced Tuesday that MediaTek will sell a newly developed desktop CPU chip co-designed with Nvidia, while hinting at unannounced future plans for the chip.
The announcement came after the unveiling of Nvidia’s $3,000 Project DIGITS desktop computer at CES 2025. The Project DIGITS computer features Nvidia’s latest “Blackwell” AI chip and runs a Linux-based operating system designed for AI developers.
During the investor presentation, Huang mentioned that MediaTek collaborated on the design of the CPU, focusing on power efficiency, and had the flexibility to market the chip independently. “Now they can provide that to us, and they can keep it for themselves and serve the market. It was a great win-win,” Huang explained.
Although the DIGITS project is not intended for mass-market consumers, Huang emphasized its role in meeting the needs of AI developers.
Nvidia aims to bridge the gap between Linux, commonly used by developers, and Microsoft’s Windows, the consumer favorite, with its Windows Subsystem for Linux technology. “We will make this a mainstream product,” Huang said, adding that Nvidia plans to support professional software for the system.
Huang also hinted at further developments for the desktop CPU, but withheld details, saying: “You know, obviously we have plans.” He expressed confidence in the chip’s ability to expand Nvidia’s offerings, saying, “We’ll support it with all the things we do to support professional, high-end software, and PC (manufacturers) will make it available to end users.”