Samsung, Nvidia to demo quad-core Windows 8 tablet

Nvidia has been bubbling with optimism this week and there may be a good reason for it: The company next week is on tap to demonstrate its quad-core Kal-El chip on a Microsoft Windows 8 tablet.

We're hearing in multiple places that a Windows 8 tablet run by Kal-El will make an appearance at the Build conference next week. Samsung, Nvidia and Microsoft will introduce the Windows 8 tablet in a demo. These sources also indicate that a Samsung tablet will be the first Microsoft device with Kal-El. The demonstration would also indicate that Samsung plans to make a Windows 8 tablet. Reports surfaced in the Korea Economic Daily.

What's unclear is when this Windows 8-Kal-El creation will be publicly available. Our sources are touting the first Microsoft tablet with Kal-El, but the timing doesn't quite add up. Kal-El will be released in the third quarter, but Windows 8 won't be released to manufacturing until April 2012 at the earliest.

Windows 8 bits are expected to be handed out to developers next week.

Given those moving parts, it's likely that Kal-El will power the demo Windows 8 unit to be claimed as a first. But Nvidia's quad core chip will run on Android in a tablet you can actually buy later this year. As Mary Jo Foley noted, Microsoft showed off a quad-core Windows slate at TechEd New Zealand last month.

Another option is that a Windows 7 tablet will be handed to developers at Build, but it can be upgraded to Windows 8.

Add it up and Nvidia's optimism this week---the company upped its fiscal 2013 outlook and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has been confident---may be warranted because it's betting on two tablet horses in Android and Windows 8.

A few points to note:

• If Samsung is on the Windows 8 tablet bandwagon it offer some serious Android diversification. Given Samsung's patent lawsuits with Apple, a Microsoft option could deliver returns just based on legal costs.
• Nvidia's plan to trump Qualcomm on quad-core market share may rest with Microsoft. Analysts have been skeptical about Nvidia's optimism largely because Android tablets haven't become consumer hits. If Nvidia has all of its non-iPad bases covered its goal to have 70 percent market share in non-Apple tablets looks more realistic.

TechRepublic's Jason Hiner, Mary Jo Foley and ZDNet UK's Rupert Goodwins contributed to this report.

More Nvidia:

• Nvidia's Tegra weak spot: An assumption Android tablets take off
• CNET: Nvidia CEO sees tenfold growth in mobile-chip biz

Build previews:

• Let's help Microsoft name Windows 8
• Hyper-V to be in Windows 8 client, Microsoft acknowledges officially
• Ten watchwords for Microsoft's Windows 8 conference
• Microsoft's Windows chief: Media Center will be part of Windows 8
• Intel: We'll win our fair share vs. ARM even with Windows 8
• CNET: Samsung to show off Windows 8 tablet, report says