James Delahunty
12 Aug 2009 19:45
Intel has licensed Scalable Link Interface (SLI) technology from Nvidia for use with its new Nehalem processors and chipsets. Intel Nehalem is the successor to the Core microarchitecture, and uses a 45-nanometer manufacturing method. The first processor released using the architecture is Intel's Core i7.
Intel has licensed the SLI technology from Nvidia in order to add improved support for multiple graphics processors to its Nehalem processors and chipsets in high-end gaming machines. The licensing however, does not include next-generation products being developed by Intel that incorporate a CPU and graphics technology on a single chip.
The company has also been improving the graphics capabilities in its chipsets, cutting into Nvidia's market in PCs. In response, Nvidia is pushing its own chipsets to compete with Intel. The SLI technology, which enables a motherboard to support as many as three Nvidia Geforce cards, has also been recently licensed by motherboard manufacturers including Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte and MSI.