Chipmaker aiming for quad-core tablets this year

The tablet market is evolving rapidly. Though the technology is still relatively young, both manufacturers and application developers are pushing the envelope to gain an edge in an increasingly competitive market.

One company that seems up for the challenge is chipmaker Nvidia®. The company's CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang, says Nvidia is currently developing quad-core processors for tablets. Furthermore, he says he expects quad-core-powered tablets to be ready for use by the 2011 holiday season.

"We're trying to get there as fast as possible," Huang tells the Wall Street Journal.

Adding quad-core chips to tablet computers could only help to broaden the appeal of a technology that's already in high demand. By making the devices speedier and more powerful, tablet makers may be able to capture a wider audience of users.

Huang estimates that Nvidia technology is already present in half of all Android™ tablets. According to market analysis firm ABI Research, Android has captured 20 percent of the tablet market and its share is still growing. If this trend continues, Nvidia's future in the tablet market could be significant.