Just one week ago, I reported that we might have to wait until next year to see custom Arm processors from Nvidia. Now, we're hearing not only more sources saying the same and that a first-quarter 2026 initial roll-out is the goal, but also that this delay might be at least in part due to slow progress with Microsoft's "next-generation operating system."
That's what "supply chain sources" say, as reported by DigiTimes. According to these sources, the Nvidia and MediaTek collaboration is reportedly facing delays due to "a combination of delays in Microsoft's operating system roadmap, ongoing chip revisions at Nvidia, and weakening demand in the overall notebook market". This latter point hints at Qualcomm Snapdragon Windows on Arm machines being less in-demand than initial appearances at launch might have had us expect.
Previously, we weren't entirely sure what the reason was for the delay, although, as reported by Charlie Demerjian of SemiAccurate, Nvidia blamed Microsoft for the delay back then, too, as well as Nvidia's partners.
To be clear, the DigiTimes sources are still citing Nvidia's redesign of chips as one factor in the delay, but apparently Microsoft OS delays would be a factor, too. This must surely mean Windows on Arm, and despite Arm telling us Windows software compatibility is 'largely a solved problem', our own testing earlier this year didn't leave us convinced, certainly not for gaming. So it's perhaps not surprising that Nvidia would be citing this as a hurdle.
Though, to be fair, the sources explain that the new Q1 2026 target isn't for gaming, nor even general consumers. Apparently the initial roll-out will be for enterprise customers. So who knows how long we'll have to wait to get our hands on a gaming laptop with an Nvidia processor.
Whatever the actual reason, it's a shame we'll have to wait so long to see custom Arm chips from Nvidia. We were hoping we'd see them this year, and we even thought we might get a glimpse at Computex, though that was just a little premature and optimistic. N1X benchmarks (that's the Nvidia Arm chip, folks reckon) have existed in the wild for some time now, but that means nil if engineering samples aren't close to ready.
The chips in question are assumed to be based on the GB10 at the heart of the Nvidia DGX Spark mini supercomputer, a 20-Arm core chip. However, there's still at least a sliver of a possibility that Nvidia could design new cores based on Arm.
Whenever we do see these processors in consumer laptops—hopefully gaming laptops, such as previous rumours about Alienware-partnered laptops suggest—I'm hopeful a new player in the consumer SoC market can only be a good thing. I don't see how it could be otherwise. Even if Windows on Arm isn't quite ready, or there are any number of other issues with the devices, I don't see how it could be a complete, 100% flop.
There'll have to be some market for it even in a worst-case scenario. And that means more competition against Intel and AMD, which should mean lower prices for us. In theory, anyway. Who knows with the markets lately.
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