Nvidia is returning to the consumer laptop segment as it prepares to report earnings on Feb. 25, aiming to supply processors for Dell, Lenovo and HP systems later this year. While the company has become synonymous with Artificial Intelligence chips in data centers, management is treating laptops as a strategic way to stay connected to everyday users as more personal computers become Artificial Intelligence enabled. Industry voices describe the effort as an attempt to become deeply integrated into the next generation PC ecosystem rather than simply selling more components, signaling a focus on long-term positioning instead of short-term revenue.
The new laptop processors are designed as system-on-a-chip units that combine the central processor and graphics onto a single piece of silicon, an approach that is common in smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone but still relatively new in most Windows laptops. By merging these elements, Nvidia and its partners want to enable thinner and lighter laptops that still deliver extended battery life and strong graphics performance, with Jensen Huang characterizing the design as “low power but very powerful.” Nvidia is pursuing two main technical routes: one with MediaTek using ARM architecture, with first models expected in the first half of this year from vendors including Dell and Lenovo, and another in which Intel’s central processor is paired closely with Nvidia graphics and Artificial Intelligence tools in systems that target the roughly 70% of the Windows PC chip market that Intel controls.
The ARM based MediaTek collaboration must overcome a significant hurdle, since earlier ARM based Windows PCs have struggled with high end gaming compatibility, a problem highlighted when Microsoft introduced Artificial Intelligence PCs in 2024 using Qualcomm based Arm designs that many gamers said could not run their preferred titles well. If Nvidia can address these issues, it could attract performance focused buyers willing to pay more. Although laptops do not match the scale of Nvidia’s data center operations, about 150 million laptops are sold each year, and Huang has pointed out that the integrated CPU and GPU segment has been largely unaddressed by Nvidia so far. Analysts believe that laptops using Nvidia’s new chip need to be priced in the $1,000 to $1,500 range to avoid becoming a niche product. On the stock side, Nvidia carries a Strong Buy consensus from 31 analysts, with an average price target of 266.23 that implies a 40.25% upside from the recent close of 189.82, after shares rose 1.02% on Friday.
