Nvidia debuts handheld chip

Looking to break away from its traditional PC graphics market, Nvidia has introduced its first graphics chip, the GoForce 2150, designed to be used in handheld devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Smaller than a fingernail, the GoForce 2150 includes a 64-bit 2D graphics controller and supports more than 70 different display interfaces, including thin-film transistor (TFT), liquid crystal display (LCD) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens with a resolution of up to 320x480 pixels, Nvidia said.

The chip’s LCD controller allows fast-switching between dual screen interfaces, such as those found on clam-shell phone handsets with a small external display and a larger internal colour screen.

Designed with camera phones in mind, the GoForce 2150 supports digital cameras with a resolution up to 1.3 mega-pixels and can support JPEG video capture.

The chip will enter volume production during the fourth quarter, it said. Pricing was not disclosed.

Nvidia sees a lucrative growth opportunity in graphics chips designed for handheld devices, president and chief executive officer (CEO), Jen-Hsun Huang, said.