It's all about the GPGPU

[W1nTry]

In case you are unaware of whats been going on in the world of graphics lately. Both DAAMIT and Nvidia and soon to be Intel have been dabling quite ALOT in having the GPU do very complex math calculations for the professional markets (medical, physics, etc). Fact is, GPUs are such FP BEASTS that no intel/amd multicore system can match up to what 1 GPU core can do. Thus the GPGPU is like a powerful CO-processor that does the work CPUs used to do, with some specialized tools and optimizations of course. If you're heard about DAAMITS Stream processors, then you should already know what I am talking about. Another good example would prolly be the PS3 and Folding @ home. THat aside, here is Nvidia's entry into the market... or at least their new entry since their quadro workstations are already more or less this...

Nvidians to launch dedicated GPGPU brand

CUDA done better

By INQUIRER newsdesk: Wednesday 04 April 2007, 11:57
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NVIDIA PLANS TO to launch a dedicated brand for its GPGPU business, according to investor Bible The Street.

What that brand is, we just don't know. DAAMIT is already pushing the 'Stream Computing' angle, but Nvidia is nothing if not a marketing company, and it is sure to come up with something catchy.

By pushing its Cuda initiative hard into the small but lucrative high performance computing market, the green team hopes to grow its professional business into a $1bn a year operation.

Currently, the business is at $500m a year thanks to its Quadro workstation products, so attempting to double its money in the space of just a couple of years is a pretty ambitious project.

The word on The Street is the term 'GPU Computing', but we wonder if that's an internal Nvidia catchphrase.

Given that the average margin in the Professional business is 60%, and the fact that Nvidia doesn't have to spend too much R&D money on the GPU Computing products (since they'll just be remarketed GeForce products) the earnings potential is lucrative - handy, at a time when the company is facing the bizarrely placed consumer market, with allies enemies and enemies allies. It's amazing what cash in the bank can do for you - just ask 3DFX. µ

[Eroo]

Never really thought about GPUs doing the FP processing like this but it makes sense.

[Arcmanov]

Well, now that GPUs get so beefy, they could more than handle their fair share of CPU tasking.
Soon, we may have to put big, nasty HSFs (like the CPU models) on our GPUs due to the amount of power
these babies may consume.  I think the 8800 by itself consumes over 150 Watts.