Nvidia Confirms Powerful ARM-Based AI PC Chips Coming with MediaTek Partnership

Jensen Huang Confirms MediaTek Partnership

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has officially confirmed the company's long-rumoured partnership with MediaTek to develop powerful new system-on-chip processors for AI-focused PCs. Speaking at the company's annual Weiya banquet in Taipei on January 30th, Huang described the collaboration as producing "a very powerful SoC" that is "low power but very powerful and designed for computers with very strong artificial intelligence."

Technical Specifications Revealed

The N1 and N1X chips are based on the GB10 Superchip that powers Nvidia's DGX Spark micro-workstation. The processors feature a twenty-core ARM CPU in a big.LITTLE configuration using MediaTek-designed Cortex X925 and Cortex A725 cores. The integrated Blackwell-based GPU contains forty-eight streaming multiprocessors with over six thousand CUDA cores, matching the desktop GeForce RTX 5070.

Fabricated on TSMC's three-nanometre process, the chips utilise unified LPDDR5X memory rather than dedicated graphics memory, enabling significant power efficiency. The N1X targets approximately one hundred twenty watts total chip power, compared to two hundred fifty watts for a discrete RTX 5070.

Major Manufacturers Preparing Launch

Multiple PC manufacturers are preparing N1 and N1X-based laptops for release in early twenty twenty-six. Lenovo has reportedly developed six laptop models including the IdeaPad Slim, Yoga Pro, and a Legion 7 gaming laptop. Dell is expected to launch Alienware gaming laptops and premium XPS notebooks featuring the N1X chip.

The launch timing aligns with Microsoft's Windows 11 26H1 release, which the company has described as designed to support specific silicon.

Challenges and Competition

Despite the technical promise, Nvidia faces significant challenges. The ongoing global memory shortage affecting AI data centres has constrained supply for consumer devices. Windows on ARM still requires x86 emulation for most PC games, potentially limiting gaming performance compared to native applications. Nvidia must also compete against established players including Apple's M4 chips and upcoming offerings from AMD's Ryzen AI Max series.