NVIDIA’s leaked N1x chip for ARM laptops has as many CUDA cores as an RTX 5070 — but don’t expect the same performance

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As an analyst, I can’t help but shed light on the fact that it’s increasingly clear that NVIDIA is delving into creating its own System-on-Chips (SoC), referred to as “N1” and “N1x”. These chips are slated for use in not just laptops, but also possibly desktop computers.

2023 saw whispers about NVIDIA considering the development of an ARM System-on-Chip (SoC) for Windows desktop computers, with concrete hints emerging just recently.

NVIDIA, in collaboration with chipmaker MediaTek, is working on developing ARM-based chips. Although there have been rumors about potential hold-ups in production, I’m optimistic that we will hear an official announcement from NVIDIA regarding these new chips sometime around early 2026.

Following an online appearance of a Geekbench OpenCL benchmark result (as reported by Videocardz), we now have a little extra insight into the forthcoming N1x.

The 46,361 OpenCL score doesn’t definitively indicate the N1x’s actual performance. Since the N1x is still in development, it’s probably a prototype that can’t yet show its full potential due to incomplete drivers and likely power and frequency limitations.

As a researcher examining the Geekbench leak, it’s hard for me to believe that NVIDIA’s N1x would truly operate at its maximum frequency of 1,048 MHz. Currently, preliminary performance data suggests the N1x is on par with the RTX 2050. However, I am optimistic that as the chip undergoes further refinement, we can anticipate significantly improved performance from it.

According to the list, the NVIDIA N1x boasts two sets of 10 CPU cores, totaling 20 cores. The Geekbench listing also verifies that it contains 48 Compute Units, which are often referred to as Streaming Multiprocessors (SM). In simpler terms, the chip has two groups of 10 processing units for a total of 20 CPU cores and 48 specialized processing units called Compute Units or Streaming Multiprocessors.

Each CU in question boasts 128 CUDA cores. Therefore, you have a total of approximately 6,144 CUDA cores, identical to the number found in the desktop version of the RTX 5070, which is powered by NVIDIA’s GB205 GPU chip.

Given the strong similarities between the specifications of other N1x models and NVIDIA’s GB10 “Grace Blackwell Superchip,” it seems plausible to suggest that the N1x may not live up to the performance expected from a 5070, but rather, it might be a toned-down version of the GB10.

As a point of reference, the GB10 – the powerhouse behind NVIDIA’s compact AI supercomputer, DGX Spark – is equipped with a 20-core ARM processor, divided into two independent 10-core clusters. This chip, developed by both NVIDIA and MediaTek, is capable of running either NVIDIA’s DGX or Windows on Arm operating systems.

It appears that the N1x could outperform or match many of the integrated graphics processors available in the market today, such as those made by AMD, Intel, Qualcomm, and Apple, based on its initial performance.

According to Tom’s Hardware, the initial results of the N1x OpenCL outperformed both the Apple M3 Max and AMD Radeon 890M in tests conducted by their team. Both typically achieved a score of around 37,500.

According to Geekbench’s rankings of top OpenCL performers, the highest score achieved by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite Adreno integrated GPU was approximately 23,955 points.

NVIDIA’s N1x has the potential to change laptop design forever

In May 2025, the YouTube channel Moore’s Law is Dead obtained what seems to be a preliminary image of NVIDIA’s N1x engineering model. This leak suggests a potential power consumption of 80-120 watts and a tentative Q1 2026 release date.

A previous report, originating from MLID, indicated that the chip’s performance could match that of an RTX 4070 Laptop GPU. This is significantly superior to the RTX 2050 performance level suggested by the latest OpenCL leak.

In my review of the MLID leak, I pointed out that having a chipset like the N1x capable of managing both CPU and GPU tasks without requiring an additional 115W of power (as needed by the RTX 4070L discrete GPU) could potentially represent a significant advancement in laptop technology.

Excited to discover the potential outcomes when NVIDIA and MediaTek combine the power-saving capabilities of an ARM CPU with an NVIDIA GPU, leveraging its impressive DLSS AI upscaling technology.

Unfortunately, I can’t give you a solid date for an NVIDIA unveiling due to delays.

Based on reports by DigiTimes, both NVIDIA and MediaTek have been encountering a mix of issues. These include delays in Microsoft’s operating system updates, continuous revisions of chips at Nvidia, and decreasing demand in the laptop market as a whole.

It’s important to note that NVIDIA might be developing an N1 variant of its ARM-based System on Chip (SoC), which could potentially appear in ordinary laptops not primarily designed for gaming. This strategy mirrors Qualcomm’s approach with the Snapdragon X Elite, X Plus, and X tiers of chips for Windows on Snapdragon.

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2025-07-28 17:09