NVIDIA Corp.’s products code-named NV42GLM and NV_ENGR1 have passed PCI Express validation procedures at PCI-SIG, which means that the chips are functional and are compatible with PCI Express standards.

NVIDIA’s chips called NV42GLM and NV_ENGR1 are currently listed in PCI-SIG’s PCI Express Integrators List. The PCI-SIG Integrators List includes all products that have a complete and satisfactory PCI Compliance Checklist on file at PCI-SIG, have passed the test criteria set forth at the PCI Compliance Workshops and are production ready.

It is unclear what exactly NV42GLM and NV_ENGR1 chips are, but some sources indicated that NV42 is a flavour of NVIDIA GeForce 6800 graphics processing unit (GPU) with 12 pixel and 5 vertex pipelines made using 110nm process technology at TSMC. GL moniker means that the chip is intended for professional applications, e.g., NVIDIA Quadro product series; whereas M may indicate orientation on mobile computers. NV_ENGR1 may be the company’s next-generation multimedia processor for add-in cards, but previously NVIDIA used another pattern for GPU code-names.

Research and investment firm Goldman Sachs said in a report in early January it did not expect NVIDIA Corp. to release a new graphics architecture earlier than in late 2005.