http://liliputing.com/2015/01/nvidia-tegra-x1-8-core-mobile-chip-maxwell-grap...NVIDIA swings an 8 core Tegra X1 bat squarely at PC space. "It’s a 64-bit, 8-core mobile processor with 256-core Maxwell graphics: the same graphics technology used in the desktop and notebook graphics chips NVIDIA introduced in 2014.
NVIDIA says the processor can handle 4K video playback at 60 Hz video in H.265 and VP9 formats, supports the same game engines as desktop chips, and offers twice the performance-per-watt of last year’s NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor.
Up until now the chip had been known by its code-name, Arista.
Among other devices, NVIDIA is positioning the Tegra X1 as a processor for in-vehicle systems with multiple displays (for entertainment, navigation, and vehicle information) thanks to a new in-car controller system called NVIDIA Drive CX which includes the Tegra X1 chip and software that allows car makers to customize their own solutions.
NVIDIA is also launching a more powerful system called the Drive PX which has 2 Tegra X1 chips that can work in parallel or as redundant processors.
The Drive PX is designed for self-driving cars or vehicles with advanced assisted driving technology. The system can support up to 12 HD cameras and can process 1.3 billion pixels per second to create a model of the environment around the car so that your vehicle knows where it is in position to other objects so it can plot a safe driving path."========================================
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/01/nvidia-announces-tegra-x1-soc-with-max...Confusion exists based on the early press releases from Nvidia -- the press is getting confused in between the 8 core big little X1 version and the 16 core ?? 8 big and 8 little ?? PX version that will drive a car for you.
In any case, 2.3 teraflops out of a little board like this is some REALLY SIGNIFICANT processing power and Intel will have to fire their PR BS cannons at once, immediately, lobbing some sort of BIG smelly brown murky vaporous "something" at it by this time tomorrow or folks might begin to question Intel's "technological leadership" again.=======================================
OK, the gloves do indeed come off in 2015 -- this X1 one (1) teraflop superchip is exactly that, a superchip, no matter which variant is the real player for the use in question.
The old DUAL CORE Tegra K1 ranked in between the Intel i-3 and i-5 powerwise and the old DUAL CORE K-1 was used as a laptop level chipset in several products, so this new 8 CORE big little X1 will pull it up into the top of the i5 to low i7 grouping when ranked power-wise.
The PX version with 16 cores ?? 8 big and 8 little ?? is simply out there at 2.3 teraflops on a single small board
which puts it in the Pacific Blue supercomputer era from calendar years 2000-2003. Even the single chip X1 at "only" a teraflop ranks as beating the year 1999's best existing supercomputer.
If others do follow this Nvidia lead, then suddenly Apple has a whole crop of possible laptop chipsets out there for them to pick between for 2015-16 laptop/desktop use (or else they can go "one up" this Nvidia monster with an Apple A-X of their own design,
in which case Intel is simply toast as far as Mac products go).
Intel has no current teraflop chipsets apart from their big fat mainframe/server multi-multi-chip w/multi-core server boards. So, Nvidia has smacked Intel square in the forehead with this one -- and when ARM Holdings reacts with their Artemis/Maya products the race for PC space is on for real ......
Remember, Intel has not yet fully gelled their actual real Skylake 14nm design yet in any meaningful fashion ..... it too is still pretty much brown stinky vapor future talk at this point in time anyway.
Intel can still react, but they will throw their Apple Skylake deadline under the bus if they go for yet another redesign yet again.
so, Intel is being offered seriously strong competition from ARM now -- using 16/20nm tech that is still planar (no finFEET is needed) and that is still much much much cheaper to actually produce on older already owned lithography processes.If this is ARM Holding's Artemis/Maya tech leaking out for the first time, then the next generation of ARM stuff is truly going to be some awesome PC level stuff.
.... didn't see that one coming, did you Intel ????