Meet Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, the man who plans to make the CPU obsolete - 2002

[Farid]

I stumbled across this old article today:

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.07/Nvidia.html

Nvidia executives seem reverent when discussion turns to Intel, but they're quick to drop appearances whenever there's talk about the future of the industry. "What we've done in the past five years is staggering," says VP of investor relations Michael Hara. "What we can do in the next five years is going to blow your mind. In 10 years, we should be bigger than Intel."
As the specialized chips around it have become commodified, the CPU has survived thanks to its power and versatility. But when it comes to multimedia - and that's where the demand is - the CPU gives way to the graphics chip, which is hundreds of times more efficient. The latest GeForce, scheduled to launch this summer, will have nearly 120 million transistors - more than double those on a Pentium 4. Unlike other specialized chips, the GPU will not likely shrink so much that it will be swallowed by the CPU. If anything, the reverse could happen. After all, no one needs a speedy 2-GHz CPU to run Excel.

And a few years later, I thought it was interesting to see what have become of Nvidia, from the Pre-GeforceFX era, the one described in this article, to the company that it is today.

 

[Arun]

I'm going to get killed for that, but... On-GPU physics is probably the largest step in that direction in a long time.
On the other hand, ATI and PowerVR are farther today in expanding to new markets than NVIDIA is or will be for at least another year.

Uttar

 

[Geo]

Jul 2002? Hmm. . . what happened in August? (and what else didn't happen until March 2003).

I found myself thinking there was more than a little hubris just about then in NV-land. At the macro level over the long-term, GFFX might have been a healthy thing for them. Clearly they've come back very strongly since (and bully for them, btw), but the occassional harsh reminder of reality probably is a healthy thing for any company that's had huge success.

 

[Megadrive1988]

here's a GREAT quote by Jen-Hsun Huang, from 1999

http://www.reed-electronics.com/eb-mag/article/CA65434?pubdate=11/1/1999

"Who would have thought that we would be more important in graphics one day than Silicon Graphics," says Huang, with bluster appropriate to the company's press release claims. "In 10 years, we could be more important than Sony."

kinda doubt he would want to be saying that now, hehe....

 

[_xxx_]

I think they should consider producing a CPU. Seeing how they developed in just a couple of years, everything's possible.

 

[Geo]

Was that tongue in cheek?

 

[Arty]

Gives me an idea for my new sig.

 

[nutball]

kinda doubt he would want to be saying that now, hehe....

Why? He's right, isn't he?

 

[ANova]

Why? He's right, isn't he?

Of course he is.

 

[Megadrive1988]

Why? He's right, isn't he?

can you say, PS3? as well as possible / likely upcoming PSP2 and PS4 deals ?

Nvidia concidered Sony their number one enemy back then. now they're strategic partners

 

[MulciberXP]

can you say, PS3? as well as possible / likely upcoming PSP2 and PS4 deals ?

Nvidia concidered Sony their number one enemy back then. now they're strategic partners

er, how'd you get that he figures they're their number 1 enemy? i think he was measuring silicon pen0s size. nothing about being enemies. they're hardly even in the same market.

 

[Megadrive1988]

er, how'd you get that he figures they're their number 1 enemy? i think he was measuring silicon pen0s size. nothing about being enemies. they're hardly even in the same market.

in 1999-2001 Nvidia and Sony were sort of rivals as far as graphics. Sony was threatening the PC with the performance of PS2. The PC was MS-Intel-Nividia territory. Even though a lot of the PS2 hype about destroying the PC was hot air, Nvidia saw Sony's Graphics Synthesizer as a threat.

The announced (March 1999) performance of GS in polys, pixels and bandwidth blew the doors off the fastest Nvidia chips. not only the Nvidia chips that were out or just about to come out (TNT, TNT2,) but the ones that were in development (NV10, NV15, NV20). Sony was talking about twice the performance of a single SGI InfiniteReality pipeline, which was outrageous
(and semi-true in some respects). The best of Nvidia engineering was made basicly from SGI defectors anyway. oh you bet Nvidia saw Sony as an enemy back then.

things are much different now though

 

[_xxx_]

Was that tongue in cheek?

No, I'd like to see another CPU out there. More competition = better. And since they're doing chipsets and GFX-cards, that would round it up and possible give them yet another opportunity to grow.

I don't think it's realistic, though...

 

[nutball]

can you say, PS3? as well as possible / likely upcoming PSP2 and PS4 deals ?

Nvidia concidered Sony their number one enemy back then. now they're strategic partners

Who's doing the graphics for PS3?

Read your own quote again:

"Who would have thought that we would be more important in graphics one day than Silicon Graphics," says Huang, with bluster appropriate to the company's press release claims. "In 10 years, we could be more important than Sony."

If Sony is so "important in graphics" why are they getting NVIDIA to design the graphics hardware in their console for them?

What I mean is ... if you want some high-end graphics hardware designed you go talk to one of two companies, neither of which is Sony.

 

[Geo]

No, I'd like to see another CPU out there. More competition = better. And since they're doing chipsets and GFX-cards, that would round it up and possible give them yet another opportunity to grow.

I don't think it's realistic, though...

Well, if by "more" you mean more than AMD and Intel. . .there are. They don't seem to do very well.

 

[_xxx_]

Well, if by "more" you mean more than AMD and Intel. . .there are. They don't seem to do very well.

Oh sure, but they're also much slower/less capable. If they would produce a x86-compatible CPU, socket-compatible to the big boys but with better performance, it would be a good thing. And also relatively easy to market, with nV's PR-power and reputation in the business (who doesn't know of nVidia?).

But as said, I don't think they will do such a thing. Just dreaming.

 

[trinibwoy]

If they would produce a x86-compatible CPU, socket-compatible to the big boys but with better performance, it would be a good thing.

Hmmm, how much overlap is there in the skill set and knowledge base for GPU's, chipsets and CPU's? My guess would be not much. Also, CPU's are pretty hand-crafted as opposed to GPU's which are heavily software/library dependent.

Anyway, they already have their hands quite full with ATi

 

[trinibwoy]

If Sony is so "important in graphics" why are they getting NVIDIA to design the graphics hardware in their console for them?

What I mean is ... if you want some high-end graphics hardware designed you go talk to one of two companies, neither of which is Sony.

Yeah if you look at it that way, he was right. Sony is irrelevant in 3D today.

 

[_xxx_]

Hmmm, how much overlap is there in the skill set and knowledge base for GPU's, chipsets and CPU's? My guess would be not much. Also, CPU's are pretty hand-crafted as opposed to GPU's which are heavily software/library dependent.

Anyway, they already have their hands quite full with ATi

CPU's are maybe hand-tuned, but no way hand-crafted. Try to layout 100+ mio. trannies by hand, I'll buy you a house if you succeed. Well, if you should need one in some 50 years when you're finished

I think there should be quite a few overlaps tech-wise, but I'm not really in the know. Anyone?

 

[WhiningKhan]

Oh sure, but they're also much slower/less capable.

Heh, you think that's on purpose? In a way it is, since most of them try to minimize power dissipation/cost instead of maximizing performance, but there is a fundamental reason why they have selected that strategy.

If they would produce a x86-compatible CPU, socket-compatible to the big boys but with better performance, it would be a good thing. And also relatively easy to market, with nV's PR-power and reputation in the business (who doesn't know of nVidia?).

Riiight. All they would have to do is to make a new product out of nowhere, compatible to the competition but better. While the competition has been refining their stuff for decades. I believe they might be able to scrape up a proprietary parallel-working processor in a bit similar fashion as the Cell - but attempting x86-compatibility really sounds like a suicide. It's just so totally different can of worms than GPUs.