On May 31, Nvidia introduced RTX Spark, which combines its Blackwell RTX GPU with its Grace CPU into a single “superchip” for Windows PCs. The company worked with MediaTek and Microsoft to develop the chips, extending Nvidia’s CPU ambitions beyond data centers, robots, autonomous vehicles, infotainment systems, and gaming hardware into a Windows PC market long dominated by Intel and AMD.
Nvidia generates most of its revenue from discrete GPUs, but it also develops CPUs using Arm’s power-efficient chip architecture. Its Tegra CPU powers Nintendo’s Switch consoles and Microsoft’s Surface devices, while Grace and Vera are built for data centers. Orin and Thor system-on-chip products combine an Arm CPU with an Nvidia GPU for advanced robots, autonomous vehicles, and infotainment systems.
Intel and AMD still have a near-duopoly in Windows PCs, but both rely on the x86 chip architecture, which is described as less power-efficient than Arm’s mobile-first architecture. Qualcomm launched its first Snapdragon chip for Windows PCs in 2018. In 2024, Qualcomm launched its second wave of Snapdragon chips for Windows PCs, which were optimized for locally processing Copilot’s generative Artificial Intelligence services.
Nvidia’s entry threatens Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm from different angles. Its Arm-based chips could draw PC makers away from x86 processors, while its position as a leading Artificial Intelligence GPU supplier could help it compete against Qualcomm’s Snapdragon PC processors, which include weaker Adreno GPUs and are not designed for heavy 3D graphics or Artificial Intelligence applications like Nvidia’s RTX GPUs.
With a 20-core Arm CPU and Blackwell GPU with up to 128GB of high-speed memory, Nvidia’s RTX Spark could threaten Intel and AMD in the high-end Windows PC market and Qualcomm’s entire Windows PC business. The shift is not expected to happen overnight, but investors in those chipmakers are being urged to watch Nvidia’s next moves closely.
