TechSpot - PC Technology News and Analysis

"Nvidia's nForce chipset will extend its reach beyond the currently supported platforms of AMD's Athlon 64 FX, Athlon 64, and Sempron processors. The cross license agreement with Intel allows Nvidia to also offer its chipset for Intel's FSBs, which will significantly increase the revenue potential for nForce."

Originally Nvidia's nForce chipset was intended to be a strategic agreement with AMD, with the Intel architecture not something being considered. But all that is about to change soon, because Nvidia and Intel have signed a patent cross-license agreement covering "multiple product lines and product generations". They have also licensed Intel's front-side bus technology, which means that Nvidia will be almost certainly releasing nForce chipset for Intel platforms. The move offers much for Intel, since it will not likely cut into the company's profits in any real way, and will enable the firm to gain more credibility in performance-oriented applications such as gaming.