NVIDIA’s Tegra239 SoC Reportedly Confirmed for Nintendo Switch 2; First Chip Image Emerges

It seems like Nintendo’s latest console refresh, the Switch 2, still features the magic touch from NVIDIA, much like its predecessor did. For the first time, we have a visual of the chip that powers it, making quite the buzz online.

The heart of the Nintendo Switch 2 beats with NVIDIA’s Tegra239 chip, an ARM-based architecture known for delivering commendable performance. When Nintendo launched the Switch 2, it showcased remarkable features like 4K resolution at 60 FPS when docked. However, details about the internal chip were scant. We knew Nintendo extended their collaboration with NVIDIA, utilizing custom Tegra SoCs, which gave a clue about the next-gen Tegra239 chip. Now, this has finally been verified, thanks to a post by @Kurnalsalts, sharing an image of the chip labeled “T239.”

The tweet doesn’t dive deeper into specifics, so we rely on prior information about the SoC’s specs. The Tegra239 reportedly houses eight ARM Cortex-A78C cores, a hybrid GPU combining Ada Lovelace and Ampere architecture, and 1536 CUDA cores. When it comes to processing power, the chip should clock between 1.1 GHz and 1.5 GHz, depending on whether it’s in docking mode or not. It also utilizes a 128-bit memory interface with LPDDR5 technology.

Though detailed specifics about the Tegra239 are still elusive, we do know this SoC is equipped to handle DLSS upscaling technology, which greatly enhances the gaming experience on the console. For those craving a deep dive into specs, check out our detailed post here. Through the Tegra239 chip, NVIDIA is demonstrating its continued dedication to custom ASIC design and maintains its exclusive partnership with Nintendo.

The looming question now is when NVIDIA will debut its much-anticipated chip for the AI PC sector. There’s been chatter for over a year about a possible collaboration with MediaTek to roll out an ARM-focused SoC, potentially called the N1X and N1, but news on that front remains mum for now.