Semiconductor giant Nvidia is on the cusp of becoming a major player in the AI PC market by 2025, with a groundbreaking system-on-a-chip (SoC) set to power a Lenovo laptop potentially unveiled by mid-year. This ambitious move marks Nvidia's foray into more consumer-focused markets, following its initial attempt at the CPU market with Project Digits, a desktop PC capable of running ChatGPT locally.
While several chip suppliers, including AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, already collaborate with hardware brands to develop AI PCs, recent leaks suggest that Nvidia is preparing a chip based on the Blackwell architecture that promises to outpace its competitors. Whispers of this upcoming chip, dubbed the N1x, surfaced after data mining revealed that Lenovo might utilize an Nvidia chip with a revamped naming scheme for its Yoga 2-in-1 16 2025 laptops. The leak pointed to an Nvidia N1x chip associated with the device and Lenovo job postings. Adding weight to this claim, Hoang Anh Phu, a prominent tech leaker, revealed details suggesting the chip's foundation in the Blackwell architecture and a potential announcement timeframe aligned with Computex 2025, scheduled for late May. Adding further intrigue, WalkingCat, another respected leaker, speculated that the N naming convention might originate from Lenovo, who reportedly incorporates the first letter from each component partner into their product naming. An AMD-powered Yoga could become Yoga a, an Intel-powered Yoga would be Yoga i, and a Qualcomm-powered Yoga would be Yoga q. Following this logic, an Nvidia-powered Yoga would naturally be Yoga n. Furthermore, Phu hinted at potential tiers within the chip lineup, featuring both a high-end N1x and a mid-range N1. The Blackwell Architecture, according to Phu, is designed to handle a staggering 180 to 200 tera operations per second (TOPS) of NPU power, a remarkable fourfold increase compared to the most powerful chips currently available. Nvidia is also expected to partner with MediaTek and leverage TSMC's 3nm process to develop this advanced SoC. However, despite the abundance of leaked information, Videocardz noted Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's statement at a CES Q&A session stating there were no concrete details regarding launch timelines.