nVidia CPU legal issues?

[Dario D.]

I was reading this article, and came across this:

According to The Inquirer, the GPU powerhouse is trying to produce an x86 chip. While the legal implications may stop anything concrete dead in its tracks, that probably wouldn’t stop Nvidia from producing the hardware and worrying about a financial settlement later.

What does this mean? (the line in bold) What on Earth legal implications would stop (or hamper) nVidia's efforts in making a CPU?

 

[Nenu]

They need to licence the technology.
Intel would probably make it prohibitive or refuse the licence so if NVidia want to do this, there will be legal implications.

 

[Yoda4561]

Just to clarify further, Intel owns x86, AMD and anyone else wanting to make an x86 cpu has to get a license from them. Intel has actually threatened to revoke AMD's license recently due to the global foundries spinoff. In AMD's case though they have some leverage, since Intel now uses x86-64 in their Core and i7 CPUs. Nvidia really has nothing of the sort, if Intel says no there's not much they can do about it.

http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20090316corp.htm

 

[vengence]

According to The Inquirer

If you read anything that starts like this, stop reading. Find another source.


That being said, Yoda pretty much summed it up. Intel owns the x86 patent, AMD owns the x86-64 patent, they have crossliscenesed. Intel doesn't want any market share errosion, and they are a little scared because current CPUs have more power than 90% of the world needs.