It seems the magic of NVIDIA is alive and kicking in Nintendo’s next-gen console, the Switch 2, much like its predecessor. For the first time, we get a glimpse of the chip that’s creating buzz online.
The powerhouse behind the Nintendo Switch 2 is indeed NVIDIA’s Tegra239 chip, designed around an ARM-based architecture and offering impressive performance. Even though Nintendo announced the device with features like 4K resolution at 60 FPS when docked, they kept mum about the hardware specifics. However, thanks to NVIDIA’s collaboration with Nintendo on custom Tegra System-on-Chips (SoCs), speculation pointed towards the next-gen Tegra239 chip, which was recently confirmed. A user by the handle @Kurnalsalts posted a photo showing a chip labeled “T239” believed to be NVIDIA’s creation.
Though the post didn’t delve into specifics about the chip, we can piece together information from prior leaks and information. It’s said the Tegra239 includes eight Arm Cortex-A78C cores, a GPU blending Ada Lovelace and Ampere elements, and boasts 1536 CUDA cores. The CPU speed ranges from 1.1 GHz to 1.5 GHz, with performance peaking when docked. It also features a 128-bit memory interface using LPDDR5 technology.
Details about the Tegra239 still remain somewhat a mystery, but we do know it supports DLSS upscaling technology, a key factor in the console’s stellar performance. For those keen on specs, you can check out our detailed post which dives deeper into the device’s capabilities. This partnership between NVIDIA and ARM for the Tegra239 shows NVIDIA’s continued commitment to custom ASICs, maintaining its exclusive collaboration with Nintendo.
However, the lingering curiosity is about when NVIDIA will bring out its anticipated chip for the AI PC market, a project hinted at since last year. Rumors have circulated about a partnership with MediaTek to launch an ARM-centric SoC, potentially named the N1X and N1 series, yet we’re still awaiting further news on this front.
