Nvidia CEO: We're working hard on Surface 2

CEO Jen-Hsun Huang tells CNET that Nvidia is working closely with Microsoft to make sure the second generation of Surface is a "big success."

Shara Tibken Former managing editor

Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."

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Shara Tibken

Aug. 8, 2013 3:49 p.m. PT

2 min read

Even with a dud in the Surface RT, Microsoft is cooking up a sequel, a chip partner confirmed to CNET on Thursday.

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang told CNET that his company is "working really hard" on the second-generation Surface with hopes it will be more successful than its predecessor.

Nvidia provided the processor for the first Surface RT, but sales of the device have been dismal. Microsoft had to write down $900 million for Surface RT last month, and the software giant later revealed it had generated only $853 million in revenue from Surface RT and Surface Pro since their debut last fall.

A big problem for Surface RT, the version of the tablet that runs on ARM-based chips instead of Intel, is that it didn't have Outlook available at launch, Huang said.

"It is the killer app for Windows," Huang said. "Now we're going to bring it with the second-generation Surface. We're working really hard on it, and we hope that it's going to be a big success."

It has long been believed that Microsoft is developing new Surfaces, including a possible version with a smaller screen. Qualcomm and Nvidia were believed to be the chip suppliers for the Surface RT versions, though neither company had confirmed that fact.

Microsoft declined to comment.