From friends to foe: ARM is rumored to be developing a gaming graphics card competing with NVIDIA

More questions than answers.

The rumor suggests that ARM is planning to hire more engineers to focus on chip development. This hiring push is linked to ARM’s plans to develop a GPU that would compete with the largest companies in the world, reports Globes.

ARM has not previously pursued high-end graphics, nor has it been mentioned that such plans were under consideration. However, with the launch of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series for PCs running Windows, it was inevitable that graphics processing units would become a crucial factor in choosing between systems.

Worth noting that these rumors appear two years after NVIDIA has decided to abandon its plans to acquire ARM. Perhaps this acquisition would eventually lead to the same outcome, if the deal did not collapse, but NVIDIA is still in the game thanks to MediaTek.

UK chip giant ARM is developing a graphics processor unit (GPU) in Israel that will compete with Nvidia and Intel, sources familiar with the matter have told “Globes.” ARM is estimated to be employing about 100 chip and software development engineers, in its global graphics processing group at its development center in Ra’anana. At this stage, ARM is reportedly engaged in graphic processing for the video game market, and at the same time – as was the case with with Nvidia – the technology could also be used for AI processing, if and when ARM decides to fully enter the field.

— Globes

It is unclear when would such a GPU appear, often such development takes years, and it is unclear if the process has already started or we are only learning about it when it is at its final testing stage. The timing for this launch may be crucial, as AMD has launched its Strix Point-based Ryzen AI 300 series, and Intel is expected to release its Core Ultra 200V “Lunar Lake” series next month. The report focuses on Intel and NVIDIA, possibly because NVIDIA is still planning an entry into the PC CPU market through its collaboration with MediaTek. It is believed that their processor will use ARM architecture as well.

According to Globes, the new GPU designed by ARM would be used for both gaming and AI workloads. While it is well-known that discrete GPUs are significantly faster than built-in NPUs in mobile packages, Globes does not explicitly state that this rumored ARM GPU would be a discrete chip or even a desktop GPU.

ARM architecture for PCs is just starting to gain traction, with Qualcomm’s entry, MediaTek and NVIDIA’s plans, and Apple’s established presence. All these companies are likely to go head-to-head with Intel and AMD, who are currently sticking to the x86 architecture. However, as demonstrated by newcomers to the GPU market, it’s not just the hardware that matters—software and optimizations are equally important.

Source: Globes