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Tag: Nvidia

  • Nvidia Likely Abandoning Arm Acquisition

    Nvidia Likely Abandoning Arm Acquisition

    After months of intense scrutiny and delays, it appears Nvidia is preparing to abandon its attempts to acquire Arm Holding.

    SoftBank first signaled in July 2020 that it was looking sell off its share of Arm Holding, or take the company public, with Nvidia announcing in September of that year that it would acquire Arm for $40 billion. Almost immediately, the deal received widespread criticism, with Arm’s co-founder calling it an “absolute disaster.”

    Governments around the world expressed antitrust concerns, opening investigation into the acquisition. The UK signaled it may try to block Nvidia’s efforts, the EU regulators launched an investigation, and the FCC filed a lawsuit to block the deal.

    According to a report by Bloomberg, it appears Nvidia may be ready to abandon the deal altogether. According to Boomberg’s source, while the company publicly says it is still trying to make it happen, it is privately telling partners that it doesn’t expect the deal to go through.

    Many countries and industry experts were concerned that Nvidia would keep Arm’s best innovations to itself, giving it a competitive advantage. Given Arm’s long-standing practice of licensing its semiconductor designs to anyone who wanted to use them, any change in how the company might operate under Nvidia could cause massive ripple effects throughout the industry.

    Meanwhile, the UK was especially concerned about its premier semiconductor company being under the control of a US corporation at a time when the semiconductor industry is being impacted by national security concerns like never before.

    Ultimately, Nvidia has not been able to effectively address these concerns, leading to the current situation.

  • Nvidia Bringing Fortnite Back to iOS and Android

    Nvidia Bringing Fortnite Back to iOS and Android

    Nvidia is doing what Epic can’t, bringing Fortnite back to iOS and Android via its GeForce NOW gaming platform.

    Fortnite has been absent the Apple App Store and Google Play Store since Epic’s legal spat with both companies. Nvidia plans to change that, thanks to its GeForce NOW gaming platform. The company is bringing Fortnite back to both platforms, via Safari on iOS and the GeForce NOW app on Android.

    Beginning today, GeForce NOW members can sign up for a chance to join the Fortnite limited-time closed beta for mobile devices. Not an existing member? No worries. Register for a GeForce NOW membership and sign up to become eligible for the closed beta once the experience starts rolling out next week. Upgrade to a Priority or RTX 3080 membership to receive priority access to gaming servers. A paid GeForce NOW membership is not required to participate.

    The announcement is welcome news to Fortnite fans.

  • FTC Sues to Block Nvidia’s Arm Purchase

    FTC Sues to Block Nvidia’s Arm Purchase

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit to block Nvidia’s attempt to purchase Arm.

    Arm is one of the world’s most important semiconductor design companies. Unlike Intel or AMD, Arm designs and licenses its semiconductors to clients, who are then responsible for manufacturing them. Apple, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Samsung and others are among Arm’s customers.

    Nvidia announced its plans to purchase Arm in September 2020 for $40 billion, a move that immediately drew criticism throughout the industry. Many worried that Nvidia would keep Arm’s greatest innovations for itself, ending Arm’s long-standing practice of maintaining strict neutrality and licensing its designs to anyone willing to pay.

    The EU has already launched an investigation into the deal, and UK regulators have signaled they may try to block it. Now the FTC has filed a lawsuit to prevent the deal from happening.

    “The FTC is suing to block the largest semiconductor chip merger in history to prevent a chip conglomerate from stifling the innovation pipeline for next-generation technologies,” said FTC Bureau of Competition Director Holly Vedova. “Tomorrow’s technologies depend on preserving today’s competitive, cutting-edge chip markets. This proposed deal would distort Arm’s incentives in chip markets and allow the combined firm to unfairly undermine Nvidia’s rivals. The FTC’s lawsuit should send a strong signal that we will act aggressively to protect our critical infrastructure markets from illegal vertical mergers that have far-reaching and damaging effects on future innovations.”

    Given the headwinds Nvidia is facing, a deal to acquire Arm is looking increasingly unlikely.

  • EU Regulators Open Probe of Nvidia’s Arm Acquisition

    EU Regulators Open Probe of Nvidia’s Arm Acquisition

    Casting further doubt on Nvidia’s attempt to purchase Arm Holdings, EU regulators have opened a formal investigation.

    Nvidia announced in September 2020 that it had reached a deal to acquire Arm Holdings. Arm is one of the leading semiconductor design firms, licensing its designs to companies for use in their products. Some of the biggest names in tech, including Apple, Google, Qualcomm, Samsung and Nvidia, all use Arm’s designs.

    The deal drew immediate scrutiny, with critics concerned Nvidia would undermine Arm’s traditional way of doing business. The company has always been strictly neutral, licensing its designs to any company willing to pay. Critics were concerned Nvidia might withhold Arm’s best designs for itself, giving it a competitive advantage.

    The UK, where Arm is based, has already launched probes and investigations over competitive and national security concerns, and signaled it may seek to block the deal. According to Reuters, the EU is also getting in on the action, launching their own probe. The EU is evidently not satisfied with the concessions Nvidia has been willing to make for the deal to move forward.

    “Whilst Arm and Nvidia do not directly compete, Arm’s IP is an important input in products competing with those of Nvidia, for example in datacentres, automotive and in Internet of Things,” EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager said.

    “Our analysis shows that the acquisition of Arm by Nvidia could lead to restricted or degraded access to Arm’s IP, with distortive effects in many markets where semiconductors are used,” she continued.

    The Commission will decide by March 15 whether the deal may move forward.

  • TSMC Set to Raise Prices

    TSMC Set to Raise Prices

    TSMC is preparing to raise prices on its chip production, a move that will have a global impact on the price of electronics.

    TSMC is already the world’s most important semiconductor manufacturer. The company builds chips for Apple, Intel, Samsung, Qualcomm, Nvidia and others. As a result of its size and economy of scale, the company has been slower than its smaller rivals to raise prices, but that appears to be changing.

    According to Nikkei Asia, TSMC is preparing its biggest price hike in a decade, driven largely by the company’s commitment to increased investment over the coming years. TSMC has previously promised to spend $100 billion over the next three years, and is looking to pass some of that expense on to its clients.

    According to Nikkei, response to TSMC’s decision has been mixed.

    “We are glad that TSMC eventually adjusted prices so that it could fend off the practice of double-booking, when industry players race to secure enough chip production capacity during a shortage,” K.S. Pua, chairman and CEO of Phison Electronics, told Nikkei.

    “We are still short of supplies and want more chip capacity to support our growth for the second half of 2021,” Pua said.

    Others were less enthusiastic.

    “We are all in a great shock and all of our account managers need to speak to our customers to see if we can renegotiate some of the contracts,” another chip executive told Nikkei. “We haven’t seen TSMC introduce such a broad rate increase in over a decade.”

    Either way, it’s a safe bet that some of the most popular phones, tablets and computers may be at least a little more expensive over the next couple of years.

  • Elon Musk Joins Chorus of Voices Opposed to Nvidia/Arm Deal

    Elon Musk Joins Chorus of Voices Opposed to Nvidia/Arm Deal

    Elon Musk has voiced concern over Nvidia’s upcoming Arm acquisition, joining a growing list of concerned parties.

    Nvidia rocked the semiconductor market when it announced a deal to acquire Arm, the leading British tech company. Arm holds a unique position in the industry, creating and licensing chips designs that its customers then manufacture for their own use.

    Skeptics immediately started voicing concern over a US-based company buying Arm, especially one that would have a vested interest in keeping Arm’s best innovations for itself. Should Nvidia go that route, it would be a major departure for Arm, which has always been the semiconductor version of Switzerland — remaining strictly neutral and selling to everyone and anyone. To date, no amount of reassurance on Nvidia’s part has assuaged those concerns, with UK lawmakers threatening to block the deal.

    According to The Telegraph, via Reuters, Elon Musk has also expressed concern over the prospective merger. In addition, Amazon and Samsung have both come out in opposition to the deal, expressing such to US authorities.

    Given the existing opposition from UK authorities, additional opposition from CEOs and other companies is sure to add additional pressure to what is already a tenuous deal.

  • UK May Block NVIDIA/Arm Deal

    UK May Block NVIDIA/Arm Deal

    The UK may prevent NVIDIA from buying Arm Holdings, over national security concerns.

    Arm is one of the UK’s biggest tech success stories. Arm creates chip designs which it then licenses to other companies for use in their products. Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung and others use the company’s designs. In Apple’s case, its license is so broad that it can customize the designs, creating truly custom silicon.

    NVIDIA made headlines in September 2020 when it announced it had reached a deal to acquire Arm. Almost immediately the deal was met with scrutiny and condemnation by many in the industry. Arm had a reputation of being neutral, selling its designs to any company wanting to license them. Many critics feared NVIDIA would reserve Arm’s greatest inventions for itself, giving it a major advantage over competitors.

    And even bigger issue has come to the fore, and may ultimately sink the deal: national security. As the COVID-19 pandemic showed, relying on semiconductor makers around the world can be a critical flaw when global supply lines are impacted by a major event. In addition, some British lawmakers are concerned about the implications of having Arm under the control of a US company, one that would be at the mercy of the US surveillance apparatus.

    All of these concerns are combining to potentially scuttle the deal, according to Bloomberg. UK Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden authorized a report on the deal to determine if it was anti-competitive, as well as what national security implications there might be.

    Based on that report, Bloomberg’s sources say UK officials are currently leaning toward rejecting the deal, although nothing final has been decided.

  • TSMC Turns in Record Quarter, Warns of Ongoing Shortages

    TSMC Turns in Record Quarter, Warns of Ongoing Shortages

    TSMC reported its quarterly earnings, including record sales and an 11% increase in revenue.

    TSMC is the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturer. The company is the primary chip-maker for Apple, and also makes chips for Intel, Qualcomm, AMD, NVIDIA, Alphabet and others.

    The company has now reported record revenue of $13.29 billion, a 28% increase. Net profit was up 11%, coming in at $4.81 billion.

    “Our second quarter business was mainly driven by continued strength in HPC and Automotive-related demand,” said Wendell Huang, VP and Chief Financial Officer of TSMC. “Moving into third quarter 2021, we expect our business to be supported by strong demand for our industry-leading 5nm and 7nm technologies, driven by all four growth platforms, which are smartphone, HPC, IoT and Automotive-related applications.”

    TSMC is projecting third-quarter revenue to come in somewhere between $14.6 billion and $14.9 billion.

    According to Bloomberg, the company also warned chip shortages could continue into next year, although automakers may see some relief as early as this quarter.

  • NVIDIA’s LaunchPad and Fleet Command Further ‘Democratizing AI’

    NVIDIA’s LaunchPad and Fleet Command Further ‘Democratizing AI’

    NVIDIA has announced LaunchPad and Fleet Command, two programs designed to help companies deploy and manage AI applications.

    Artificial intelligence is emerging as one of the most critical technologies of the future, yet it continues to be misunderstood and mismanaged. In fact, a recent report indicated a staggering 65% of companies did not understand how the AI they were using is utilized, or how it makes the decisions they rely on it for.

    NVIDIA hopes to change that with LaunchPad and Fleet Command. Launch Pad is designed to give companies access to NVIDIA-powered software and resources to jump-start their AI development.

    “Today’s enterprises are looking for a simple, comprehensive solution that provides instant access to the resources they need to build and deploy AI with ease,” said Manuvir Das, head of Enterprise Computing at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA AI LaunchPad puts AI at the fingertips of enterprises everywhere with fully automated, hybrid-cloud infrastructure and software for every stage of the AI lifecycle.”

    Fleet Command goes even further, making it easier to securely deploy, manage and scale a company’s AI.

    “The ability to deploy and manage AI applications at the edge is one of the most complex problems facing businesses as they move toward an Internet of Things era, including smart factories, intelligent retail and smart cities,” said Das. “NVIDIA Fleet Command drives efficiency across a business, helping scale edge AI with unprecedented speed.”

    NVIDIA is already a leader in the AI field, thanks to its powerful semiconductors. With LaunchPad and Fleet Command, the company is adding to that leadership by providing what companies need to effectively utilize AI.

  • NVIDIA May Miss March 2022 Deadline to Buy Arm

    NVIDIA May Miss March 2022 Deadline to Buy Arm

    NVIDIA’s attempt to purchase Arm Holdings may be headed for a rocky patch, as the company may miss its deadline.

    When NVIDIA announced it would be acquiring Arm, an initial deadline was set for March 2022. Unfortunately for the company, it appears European regulators may not want to start examining the case until after the summer holiday, according to Reuters. Since the deal cannot proceed without US, European and Chinese regulators signing off, NVIDIA is effectively dead in the water until the EU regulators make a move.

    Should the March 2022 deadline pass without a deal, the companies have the option of extending the deadline to September, at which point either one can walk away if the deal doesn’t receive government approval.

    There will likely be significant pressure on Arm to do just that, as governments and companies alike are concerned with NVIDIA purchasing the chipmaker. The UK, in particular, is concerned about losing its greatest tech success story to a US rival.

    Similarly, the many companies that rely on Arm processors are concerned NVIDIA will not uphold the same Swiss-like neutrality Arm has always maintained, being willing to work with any and all other companies. Some are also concerned NVIDIA may hold back some of Arm’s more significant breakthroughs for itself.

  • Qualcomm Wants to Buy a Stake in Arm

    Qualcomm Wants to Buy a Stake in Arm

    Qualcomm has expressed interest in buying a stake in chipmaker Arm Holdings, should the NVIDIA deal fall through.

    Arm Holdings designs semiconductors used in mobile devices, computers and servers. Unlike other chipmakers, which design and manufacture their chips, Arm licenses its designs to other companies, including Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung and others, who are responsible for manufacturing them.

    While Arm chips have traditionally dominated the mobile landscape, thanks to their combination of performance, power consumption and battery life, the chips are gaining popularity in desktop devices. Apple is leading the charge, migrating its Mac platform to its custom, Arm-based silicon.

    NVIDIA announced it had entered an agreement to purchase Arm last September, but the deal is currently being investigated by the UK government over national security concerns. As technology, and especially the semiconductor industry, continues to be impacted by geopolitical factors, the UK government is worried about its main chipmaker coming under US control. NVIDIA rivals are also concerned the company will end Arm’s long tradition of vendor neutrality in favor of keeping Arm’s greatest innovations for itself.

    Qualcomm appears ready to pounce, should the NVIDIA deal fall through, according to The Telegraph, via TheStreet.

    “If Arm has an independent future, I think you will find there is a lot of interest from a lot of the companies within the ecosystem, including Qualcomm, to invest in Arm,” Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm’s incoming chief executive, told The Telegraph.

    Needless to say, NVIDIA was dismissive of such ideas, portraying Arm as needing NVIDIA’s help to succeed.

    “To grow and meet the demands of the AI era, Arm needs much more than an IPO,” Nvidia said in a statement. “Arm needs an infusion new technology that it can provide to Arm licensees everywhere, which is why we stepped up and agreed to buy Arm.”

  • NVIDIA Increasing RTX 30-Series Production to Counter Shortage

    NVIDIA Increasing RTX 30-Series Production to Counter Shortage

    NVIDIA is increasing production of its RTX 30-series graphics card, amid one of the worst semiconductor shortages in history.

    The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a chip shortage that has impacted multiple industries. The shortage started due to lockdowns and quarantines impacting production and was exacerbated by the increased demand for computers, tablets and gaming consoles as people worked and played from home.

    NVIDIA has been particularly impacted, as its GPUs are popular among gamers and crypto miners. Because GPUs offer high-performance and customization options, they are the preferred choice for miners. NVIDIA has even taken the unusual step of crippling its more recent models if crypto mining is detected, throttling their performance by 50%.

    The company is now increasing its production in an effort to get ahead of the shortage, according to Digital Trends. Citing Chinese outlet ITHome, Digital Trends says there were posts on the closed Board Channels forums — primarily for board partners and distributers — indicating NVIDIA’s plans.

    NVIDIA had already increased the production of the less powerful RTX 2060, with minimal impact on the shortage. Increasing production for the RTX 30-series will hopefully help alleviate the pressure even more.

  • Intel Considering a Purchase of Chipmaker SiFive

    Intel Considering a Purchase of Chipmaker SiFive

    Intel is looking at possibly purchasing chipmaker SiFive, as it looks to compete with Arm Holdings.

    Once the dominant chipmaker in the world, Intel has lost its luster, losing much of the mobile market to Arm Holdings. Arm’s chips are renowned for offering the optimal blend of performance and battery life. Apple has used Arm-based designs to power the iPhone and iPad for years, and recently began migrating its Mac platform away from Intel, in favor of its Arm-based custom silicon.

    Intel is keen to reassert its dominance, even stating it would love to get Apple back as a customer. A big step toward regaining its spot at the top is designing chips that can compete in the mobile market and challenge Arm head-on.

    According to Bloomberg, Intel is looking at SiFive as a possible option to help jumpstart its ambitions. SiFive currently designs chips based on the RISC-V architecture, and employees several individuals who helped create the architecture. RISC-V is seen as one of the primary competitors to Arm, targeting the same type of applications. Unlike Arm, however, RISC-V was designed to be open source, making it a cheaper alternative.

    Because its open source, companies are increasingly seeing RISC-V as an attractive option, with Alibaba recently announcing its Apsara cloud OS would support the chip. Its open source nature is especially attractive to Chinese companies looking to avoid the sanctions and bans Huawei has faced.

    Beyond China, many companies are keeping an eye on RISC-V as a result of NVIDIA’s efforts to acquire Arm. Arm has long been considered the Switzerland of the semiconductor industry, willing to work with anyone and everyone. Many companies fear NVIDIA may change that, reserving Arm’s best technology and designs for itself, hurting its relationships with its customers and costing them a competitive advantage.

    Intel has reportedly offered as much as $2 billion for SiFive, considerably more than the $500 million it was valued at during its last round of funding in 2020. Should the deal go through, it may help put RISC-V adoption into overdrive.

  • TSMC and MIT Leapfrog IBM, Make 1nm Breakthrough

    TSMC and MIT Leapfrog IBM, Make 1nm Breakthrough

    TSMC and MIT have made a major advancement in semiconductor design, with a 1nm breakthrough.

    TSMC is a global leader in the semiconductor industry. The company makes chips for Apple, Qualcomm, AMD, NVIDIA, Alphabet, Huawei and Intel. Currently, TSMC uses 5nm chips. AMD is working to transition to 5nm and Intel is still struggling to move to 7nm. IBM made headlines when it announced it had made a breakthrough on 2nm chips, although they aren’t expected for another four years.

    MIT and TSMC have now one-upped IBM, according to Taiwan News, making a major breakthrough with 1nm chips. The discovery was initially made by MIT, although MIT’s researchers were using TSMC components.

    The announcement is further bad news for Intel. Once the leader in semiconductor design, Intel has increasingly faced supply and development issues, leading it to turn to TSMC to outsource some production. With TSMC now closing in on 1nm, the gap between the two companies will only continue to widen.

  • UK Probing NVIDIA/Arm Deal Over National Security Concerns

    UK Probing NVIDIA/Arm Deal Over National Security Concerns

    The UK is probing NVIDIA’s purchase of Arm Holding, citing concerns over national security.

    NVIDIA announced last September it had entered an agreement to purchase Arm. Arm’s chip designs are used by companies around the world, including Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung and more. Almost immediately, critics decried the deal as an effort by NVIDIA to reduce competition, with concerns the company would save Arm’s best work for itself. In contrast, Arm has built its business by being strictly neutral, licensing its designs to anyone that wanted them.

    There have also been major concerns regarding the UK semiconductor industry, with Arm being the most successful example. Given the increasing nationalization of the semiconductor industry, many critics worried about the UK losing its most prominent chipmaker to acquisition by a US firm.

    It appears the UK government shares those concerns, and has filed an “intervention notice” to investigate the deal based on national security concerns, according to Reuters.

    “As a next step and to help me gather the relevant information, the UK’s independent competition authority will now prepare a report on the implications of the transaction, which will help inform any further decisions,” said digital minister Oliver Dowden.

    NVIDIA has downplayed the issues, saying its deal does not pose a threat.

    “We will continue to work closely with the British authorities, as we have done since the announcement of this deal,” said NVIDIA.

  • TSMC: Chip Shortages Won’t Ease Until 2023

    TSMC: Chip Shortages Won’t Ease Until 2023

    TSMC has delivered further bad news on the semiconductor shortage, predicting supplies chain tightness won’t completely ease until 2023.

    The world is experiencing a significant shortage of semiconductors, with multiple industries currently being impacted. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has warned the shortage could last a couple of years, and now TSMC has issued a similar assessment.

    TSMC specializes in manufacturing semiconductors for partner companies, and is the premier chipmaker for Apple. The company also makes chips for Qualcomm, Alphabet, AMD, NVIDIA and Huawei, and will make the i3 for Intel.

    According to Bloomberg, TSMC believes shortages will begin to ease for the auto industry next quarter, but the overall industry will continue to experience shortages throughout the rest of the year and into next.

    “We see the demand continue to be high,” CEO C.C. Wei said. “In 2023, I hope we can offer more capacity to support our customers. At that time, we’ll start to see the supply chain tightness release a little bit.”

  • Intel CEO: Global Semiconductor Shortage Will Last a Couple of Years

    Intel CEO: Global Semiconductor Shortage Will Last a Couple of Years

    Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has weighed in on the global semiconductor shortage, and it’s not good news for those wanting a quick fix.

    The semiconductor industry is experiencing a massive shortage amid skyrocketing demand. Automakers have been forced to shut down factories, or ship trucks without all of the fuel management chips they would normally have. Apple is rumored to be pushing back some production as a result of the shortage, and NVIDIA recently announced it would continue to struggle with demand through the rest of the year.

    In an interview with The Washington Post, Gelsinger said the shortage would likely last for a couple more years. Intel is working to help automotive chipmakers use the company’s factories to boost supply, but that isn’t a quick fix.

    “We do believe we have the ability to help,” said Gelsinger. But “I think this is a couple of years until you are totally able to address it,” he said. “It just takes a couple of years to build capacity.”

    Intel has warned that it would be six to nine months before its factories would deliver the first chips aimed at the automotive industry.

    “That in no way addresses all of it, but every little bit helps. We can help alleviate some pressure,” added Gelsinger.

  • NVIDIA’s Supply Issues Will Last Throughout 2021

    NVIDIA’s Supply Issues Will Last Throughout 2021

    As part of its quarterly results, NVIDIA dropped bad news about the supply issues it has been facing with its GPUs.

    The demand for NVIDIA’s GPUs has exceeded the company’s production ability for some time. The tech industry in general has been facing supply issues as a result of the pandemic and increased demand for personal computers and tablets.

    NVIDIA has also been facing higher demand due to cryptocurrency mining, with its GPUs a popular option. The company has even taken measures to cripple cryptocurrency mining on its latest GPU, while releasing a semiconductor specifically for miners.

    Unfortunately, it appears the company will continue to struggle with demand through the rest of the year, according to CFO Colette Kress.

    “Overall demand remains very strong and continues to exceed supply while our channel inventories remain quite lean,” said Kress. “We expect demand to continue to exceed supply for much of this year. We believe we will have sufficient supply to support sequential growth beyond Q1.”

  • NVIDIA Shipped Driver That Unlocked RTX 3060 Ethereum Mining

    NVIDIA Shipped Driver That Unlocked RTX 3060 Ethereum Mining

    NVIDIA has confirmed it accidentally shipped a driver update that unlocked full-speed Ethereum mining on its RTX 3060 GPU.

    NVIDIA made headlines — and upset crypto miners — when it announced it would throttle its RTX 3060 GPU for Ethereum mining. Because of their high performance and programmability, GPUs are a popular choice for crypto mining. Unfortunately for the rest of the industry, miners have been snapping up GPUs so fast that NVIDIA has been struggling to keep up. As a result, its solution was to hobble the RTX 3060’s performance to 50% if it detects Ethereum mining.

    In a rather embarrassing mistake, the company has admitted a driver update inadvertently disabled the throttling, enabling full-speed performance.

    “A developer driver inadvertently included code used for internal development which removes the hash rate limiter on RTX 3060 in some configurations,” an Nvidia spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. “The driver has been removed.”

    It’s unlikely NVIDIA will be able to pursue its plans with the RTX 3060. Even though the company has since pulled the driver, miners will be able to share the accidental version and make sure everyone who wants it has access. There is also no way to prevent users from continuing to use the driver.

    At least for now, it appears NVIDIA’s grand plan will have to wait until its next great GPU is released.

  • NVIDIA Will Throttle RTX 3060 GPU For Cryptocurrency Mining

    NVIDIA Will Throttle RTX 3060 GPU For Cryptocurrency Mining

    NVIDIA has announced it will throttle the performance of its upcoming RTX 3060 GPU for Ethereum cryptocurrency mining.

    Graphics cards have increasingly found widespread adoption far beyond their intended target. Because of their programmable nature and high performance, GPUs are used in artificial intelligence, gene sequencing, cryptocurrency mining and more. The downside is that gamers are having a hard time getting their hands on the latest, greatest GPUs, especially with cryptocurrencies at all time highs.

    To alleviate the situation, NVIDIA is artificially throttling the performance of the RTX 3060 — solely for Ethereum cryptocurrency mining. The company says the GPU’s performance will reduce to roughly 50% when it detects mining activity. The company has no plans to limit the performance of existing GPUs.

    At the same time, NVIDIA is announcing the release of the NVIDIA CMP (Cryptocurrency Mining Processor).

    CMP products — which don’t do graphics — are sold through authorized partners and optimized for the best mining performance and efficiency. They don’t meet the specifications required of a GeForce GPU and, thus, don’t impact the availability of GeForce GPUs to gamers.

    That last statement is of particular note, as any impact to GPU production would negate any benefit of discouraging miners from buying them.

  • UK Watchdog Investigating Nvidia’s Purchase of Arm Holdings

    UK Watchdog Investigating Nvidia’s Purchase of Arm Holdings

    Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is launching an investigation into Nvidia’s acquisition of Arm Holdings.

    Arm Holdings is the UK’s most successful tech firm, and is at the center of the semiconductor industry. The company’s chip designs are used in iPhones, iPads, Macs, Android phones, servers and more. The company is, along with AMD, responsible for Intel’s fall as the world’s dominant chipmaker.

    Nvidia and Arm made headlines in September when it was announced Nvidia would acquire Arm for $40 billion. The announcement was greeted with skepticism and denunciation from many corners of Britain, as well as the the industry, with Arm’s co-founder calling the deal an “absolute disaster.” In addition to the 3,000 UK jobs at stake, many are worried about the possibility of Arm’s neutrality being corrupted.

    Arm doesn’t manufacturer any of its own chips, unlike Intel and AMD. Instead, it licenses its designs to companies throughout the tech industry, who then manufacture chips based on those designs. As such, Arm is the chipmaking equivalent of Switzerland, working with everyone and excluding no one. Many industry experts are concerned that may change under Nvidia, a company that has a vested interest in preventing competitors from using Arm’s designs to gain any advantage over it.

    In addition, with the ongoing nationalization of technology — as evidenced by the US cutting off China-based Huawei from its chip suppliers — there is concern within the UK of their premier tech company being under the control of a US-based company.

    These concerns have now culminated in the CMA launching an investigation, according to The Guardian. As part of their investigation, the CMA is calling “for interested parties to submit views on the contentious deal before the launch of a formal investigation later this year.”

    It remains to be seen how the CMA will rule. However, given the stakes for the British tech industry, as well as the tech industry at large, it seems likely the CMA may seek to block the deal.