The transition from x86/x64 architecture (the stuff that’s been powering desktops and laptops for decades) to Arm architecture (the stuff more usually found inside smartphones) was supposed to be a massive change for Windows. It certainly hasn’t been that, at least not with the first couple of generations of Qualcomm chips. But Nvidia has been waiting in the wings—and it looks like Nvidia’s Arm chips are almost here.
At least that seems to be the case if you take a close look at a new update text from Lenovo. Several previously undisclosed laptops in the IdeaPad, Yoga, and Legion (gaming) lines include “N1” and “N1X” in their full product names, spotted by a data miner on Twitter (via VideoCardz.com). You don’t even need to dig deep into hidden files to see it—there’s a “Legion 7 15N1X11″ mentioned in the latest update to the Legion Space gaming management software. That laptop, presumably similar to existing Legion 7 designs (16-inch gaming laptops that feature both Intel and AMD options), doesn’t officially exist yet.
The N1 and N1X are known quantities. You can get them now in some enormously expensive devices, like the Jetson Xavier compute module and the DGX Spark mini PC. But these things are designed for industrial applications and “AI” development. The DGX Spark costs $4,000 USD, loaded with 128GB of unified system memory and a custom Grace Blackwell GPU. Nvidia partners Acer, Asus, Dell, Gigabyte, and yes, Lenovo, all offer similar industrial systems—or if they don’t, then they will soon. This is all stuff that the vast majority of consumers probably don’t want and definitely don’t want to pay for.
But an Nvidia-powered, Arm-based gaming laptop? Now that might be a different proposal. Gaming has been an Achilles heel for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, even as they excel at single-process performance and battery life. That’s less to do with the hardware’s actual capabilities than the fact that Windows games just aren’t made for non-x86/x64 systems. But if anyone can get over that issue—and presumably pair it with serious gaming power—it’s Nvidia. (Meanwhile, Microsoft is also making some big overtures to Windows gaming on Arm.)
Previous reports indicated that the N1 and N1X chips should be arriving, well, just about anytime, though the RAM crunch may have changed a few figures around. (This wouldn’t be the first Nvidia product affected by it.) Lenovo’s inclusion of Nvidia in upcoming laptop products certainly indicates that they’re coming sooner rather than later.
That said, none of this is verified. It’s possible that Lenovo coincidentally has some internal system with N1 and N1X applied. It’s also possible that these Nvidia laptops are ready to go but delayed or even cancelled thanks to RAM issues… the same ones ironically caused by the AI industry that Nvidia is courting with those N1 mini PCs.
Author: Michael Crider
Source: PCWorld
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
