one year on
Nvidia and Intel announce joint development of custom x86 processors, Nvidia to invest $5 billion in Intel
The longtime rivals will co-develop data center CPUs and PC SoCs with integrated Nvidia RTX graphics, fusing Nvidia's AI stack with Intel's x86 ecosystem.
Originally published Published on this site
Nvidia and Intel today announced a sweeping partnership that will see the two companies jointly develop multiple generations of custom x86 products, along with a $5 billion Nvidia investment in Intel common stock at $23.28 per share.
Under the deal, Intel will build custom x86 CPUs for Nvidia’s AI data center platforms, integrating Nvidia’s NVLink interconnect. For personal computing, Intel will manufacture x86 system-on-chips that incorporate Nvidia RTX GPU chiplets, also connected over NVLink. The companies described the collaboration as a multi-generation roadmap.
The announcement comes after the U.S. government took a roughly 9.9 percent stake in Intel, and after SoftBank invested $2 billion in the company.
The pairing of two longtime rivals surprised the industry, as Nvidia’s GPUs have long eaten into workloads that were once Intel’s home turf. Tom’s Hardware called it a “seismic” deal.
The record
NVIDIA Newsroom: NVIDIA and Intel to Develop AI Infrastructure and Personal Computing Products
Tom's Hardware: Nvidia and Intel announce jointly developed 'Intel x86 RTX SOCs' for PCs with Nvidia graphics, also custom Nvidia data center x86 processors Nvidia buys $5 billion in Intel stock in seismic deal
Said the collaboration tightly couples Nvidia's AI and accelerated computing stack with Intel's CPUs and the x86 ecosystem, calling it a fusion of two world-class platforms.
Said Intel's data center and client platforms, combined with its process technology and manufacturing, will complement Nvidia's AI and accelerated computing leadership.
One year later — open only if you can handle spoilers
Regulators waved it through: the FTC cleared the deal in December 2025 and it closed on December 26, with Nvidia taking about 215 million shares at $23.28. Intel's stock, which jumped on the announcement, kept climbing — by mid-2026 it traded near $37, putting Nvidia's $5 billion stake above $7 billion on paper. The co-developed silicon — custom x86 data-center CPUs and RTX-integrated PC SoCs — was still in development, a roadmap rather than a product.
Filed
Compiled and edited by Adam Allcock.
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