Tegra 3's impact on the tablet industry

The tablet computer has proven to be a disruptive force in the technology industry. Not only does the device offer a new form factor for users to consume and generate content, it has also shaken things up in terms of industry leadership.

One player that stands to benefit amid the tablet boom is chipmaker NVIDIA®. The company has long lived in the shadow of PC processor giant Intel®. But Intel has struggled to make much of a dent in the mobile market, opening the door for new leaders to emerge.

NVIDIA has touted its Tegra™ 3 processor for tablet computers for some time. The chipset was officially released in November 2011. With an ARM Cortex-A9 core, Tegra 3 is designed for enhanced graphics, low energy consumption and robust computing power.

Perhaps most noteworthy is that NVIDIA plans to include Tegra 3 in several low-priced tablets. At an event in January 2012, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang claimed that the chip would soon be found on a tablet sporting a $249 price tag. More recently, he asserted that Tegra 3 would power a $199 tablet set to be released this summer.

NVIDIA still has a way to go before it can claim dominance in the tablet industry, as the market is currently led by Qualcomm®. Given the youth of the tablet market, however, nothing is yet set in stone.