Nvidia CEO Prepares for CPU Battle with Intel, AMD

Nvidia sees opportunity as AI shifts from training to deployment

Feb. 26, 2026 at 11:18am by Ben Kaplan

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is increasingly embracing the central processing unit (CPU) as the company sees a comeback for the traditional "brain" of computers. Huang says Nvidia is ready to compete with Intel and AMD in the CPU market, as AI companies move from training models to deploying them, a shift that Nvidia plans to be a big part of.

Why it matters

Nvidia has built its fortune on specialized graphics processing units (GPUs) used for AI, but the company now sees the CPU as an equivalent if not better option as the focus shifts to AI deployment. This signals a potential renewed battle between Nvidia and longtime CPU leaders Intel and AMD.

The details

Huang said that while computing used to be 90% on CPUs and 10% on chips like Nvidia's GPUs, that ratio has flipped in recent years. But he says the CPU is now making a comeback, and Nvidia is ready to compete with its own CPU offerings for data centers that were first released in 2023.

  • Nvidia first released its own CPU offerings for data centers in 2023.

The players

Nvidia

An American technology company that designs graphics processing units (GPUs) for the gaming and professional markets, as well as system on a chip units (SoCs) for the mobile computing and automotive market.

Jensen Huang

The co-founder and CEO of Nvidia.

Intel

An American multinational corporation and technology company that designs, manufactures, and sells computer components and related products.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)

An American multinational semiconductor company that develops computer processors and related technologies for business and consumer markets.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We love CPUs as well as GPUs,”

— Jensen Huang, CEO, Nvidia (Reuters)

The takeaway

Nvidia's shift towards competing more directly with Intel and AMD in the CPU market signals a potential new battleground in the technology industry as AI moves from training to deployment. This could lead to increased competition and innovation in the CPU space.