NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) dreams of a smartphone revolution where its Tegra line of mobile processors plays a central role to the story. The company believes its Tegra line of mobile processors can continue growing “well over” 50% a year for the foreseeable future, fueled not only by increased demand, but by technological advancements. These advancements primarily come down to further chip integration, which on a high level means taking multiple chips and combining them to create a multipurpose chip. In the world of mobile computing, all roads lead to chip integration because it saves space, power, and costs, all of which are attractive from a manufacturer’s perspective.
The road to integration
Qualcomm investors shouldn’t run for cover just yet. NVIDIA has yet to offer a Tegra-LTE solution and it isn’t expected to happen until sometime toward the end of this year. As a result, NVIDIA’s current Tegra 3 processor has only made its way into two smartphones from HTC. To date, Qualcomm remains the only major chip maker to offer a mobile processor integrated with a 4G-LTE modem. The reason why Qualcomm is so far ahead of the competition is because it aggressively accelerated the processor’s release schedule, putting the company in the highly advantageous first-mover position. For the time being, Tegra sales will continue to be driven by non-Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) tablet sales until it can integrate LTE within its chips. It likely won’t be until next year until investors know if Tegra will be a serious asset for NVIDIA in the smartphone market.
Processor wars
Qualcomm’s next-generation of processors intended for high-end smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs are likely to keep NVIDIA and its upcoming Tegra 4 processor on its toes. The flagship Snapdragon 800 chip is expected to be available by the middle of this year, offering a performance gain that’s promised to be 75% faster than its predecessor, the Snapdragon S4 Pro. A big factor to consider here is how the recent introduction of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows RT will influence the tablet market and both of these companies’ businesses. NVIDIA has its deepest ties with the PC industry, which could create a potential hurdle for Qualcomm to overcome as it enters the Windows RT computing market. Not to mention NVIDIA has far more advanced GPU technology, which could be viewed as the better fit for the high-end tablet market. But then again, it might all come down to battery life, and Qualcomm’s customized processor architecture could give it the edge. NVIDIA’s upcoming Tegra 4 utilizes the ARM Holdings plc (ADR) (NASDAQ:ARMH) Cortex-A15 processor core right out of the box, where Qualcomm’s upcoming chips will be based on newly customized “Krait” architectures. These in-house designs have allowed Qualcomm to maintain a competitive edge in an industry where it’s become increasingly difficult to differentiate.
