NVIDIA Says It Will Support Windows RT Tablets with Tegra 4 Quad-Core Processor

It’s been quite some time since we first heard of theNVIDIA Tegra 4 quad-core processor, as it has yet to officially debut on any consumer electronics device.  But the chipmaker has recently confirmed that it will continue supporting the Windows RT platform of Microsoft, the Redmond company’s “lite” version ofWindows designed for ARM-powered devices.

“NVIDIA is very invested and very committed toWindows RT, and we feel it has a bright future”, saidNVIDIA vice president of computing products Rene Hass in an interview with ComputerWorld.  In addition to expressing an interest in Windows RT devices, and saying that “multiple” devices will be powered by Tegra 4 processors, Hass also expressed that such gadgets with the Windows RT operating system are “where things are going.”  Still, NVIDIA believes that the transition to Windows RT and Tegra 4 processors won’t be a quick one.

“It’s very early in what is a very significant transition for the PC platform,” added Hass, discussing how personal computers may be better served with Windows RT and Tegra 4 support. “If you step back and look at how we use computers today, everything is driven by mobile and access to information everywhere. Windows RT devices are very thin and have a very long battery life, and these are the key tenets of what a PC will look like in the future.”  In the meantime, though, some have speculated that Microsoft’s next-generation Surface RT tablets may come withTegra 4 power, on top of other impressive specifications.  The next-gen Surface RT may feature a Tegra 4 clocked at 1.9 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 3200 x 2000 pixel resolution and 4K video support through HDMI.

These specifications are far better than what the present Surface RT has to offer.  That device, which costs $499 and up, features a 1.4 GHz quad-core processor clocked at 1.3 GHz, 2 GB RAM and a 10.1-inch display with 1366 x 768 resolution.