Source Tom’s guide
SANTA CLARA, CA — The long-standing duopoly of the PC processor market is facing its most significant shake-up in decades. In a move that sends a direct warning to Intel and AMD, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has officially confirmed the upcoming release of the N1 and N1X chips—the company’s first dedicated Arm-based processors designed specifically for the burgeoning “AI PC” market.
After years of speculation and industry leaks, Nvidia is finally ready to bring its AI prowess from the data center directly into consumer laptops and desktops.
A High-Performance Powerhouse
The N1 series isn’t just a minor entry into the market; it’s a high-performance “Superchip” platform. Co-developed with MediaTek and built on TSMC’s cutting-edge 3nm process, these chips are designed to bridge the gap between extreme gaming performance and power-efficient mobile computing.
N1X (The Performance Leader): Targeted at gaming laptops and professional workstations. Leaks suggest a massive 20-core CPU architecture paired with a built-in GPU based on the Blackwell architecture. Early benchmarks indicate it may offer performance comparable to a dedicated GeForce RTX 5070, providing unprecedented graphics power in an integrated package.
N1 (The Efficiency Champion): Focused on thin-and-light AI PCs, prioritizing battery life and “Edge AI” capabilities while still outperforming traditional integrated graphics.
The Battle for the AI PC
The timing of this release is no coincidence. Nvidia is capitalizing on a major shift in the industry toward Windows on Arm. While Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series has already made inroads, Nvidia is betting that its dominant position in the AI and gaming software ecosystems (via CUDA) will give it the winning edge.
Microsoft is reportedly preparing a Windows 11 26H1 update specifically optimized for these new Arm architectures, ensuring that the N1 and N1X chips offer a seamless experience for both AI workloads and standard desktop applications.
Why Intel Should Be Worried
For decades, Intel has relied on its x86 architecture to maintain dominance in the laptop sector. However, Nvidia’s entry creates a “pincer movement”:
Efficiency: Like Apple’s M-series chips, the Arm-based N1 series aims for high “performance-per-watt,” promising laptops with multi-day battery life.
GPU Dominance: By embedding legitimate RTX-level graphics directly into the processor, Nvidia may eliminate the need for many users to buy a separate, power-hungry discrete GPU.
Availability
While Nvidia sat out a major consumer announcement at CES 2026 to fine-tune the silicon, sources indicate that the first laptops featuring the N1X—likely from partners like Dell (Alienware) and Lenovo (Legion)—are expected to debut as early as Q1 2026, with a wider rollout planned for the second half of the year.
