Report: Intel on verge of settlement with FTC and nVidia

[Keysplayr]

They could buy Nvidia and then have the world's 3rd best x86 cpu company, 3rd best cpu manufacturing, and....eventually degrade nvidia into the world's 3rd best gpu company? (behind amd and powervr I'd imagine, but intel IGPs COULD get better)

As was said earlier in this thread, VIA is approximately 80 percent of the size of Nvidia. In this market, it would be extremely difficult to purchase a company 1/2 your size let alone a larger one without some serious financial ramifications. Look at what AMD went through buying ATI, a smaller company than itself. They are still struggling and will be for years more.
Turn it around and if the X86 license could be transferred through sale, I don't think Nvidia could buy VIA either. Too large a nut.

 

[ViRGE]

As was said earlier in this thread, VIA is approximately 80 percent of the size of Nvidia.

Just out of curiosity, what metric are you going by? If you're going by the market capitalization difference (the most important factor for a buyout) then your numbers are way off. Just looking at today's numbers, VIA is worth around 600mil USD (18.7B NT$) while NVIDIA is worth 5.5bil USD. VIA is much smaller than NVIDIA, which makes sense since I can't figure out what it is VIA sells in volume these days.