Nvidia’s grand plan to compete against Qualcomm in the cellular modem space will end soon, with the company announcing that it is planning to wind down cellular modem operations in the next few months and that it is seeking buyers for the division before shutting it down. The division was formerly known as Icera Technologies before the Nvidia purchase in 2011.
Nvidia purchased Icera in order to leverage its cellular modem development and integration expertise for the first and second generation mobile-focused Tegra lines of chipsets, which met with a lukewarm reception and never seemed to gain traction with manufacturers despite being included in several flagships, such as the LG G2X. Nvidia has reiterated its focus on Android gaming, automotive integration and cloud computing as the reason for winding down the modem business.
