According to a Monday announcement by Nvidia - the foremost graphics chip supplier for game PCs -, Intel has licensed the company's Scalable Link Interface (SLI) technology for inclusion in its forthcoming products. The SLI technology, which essentially facilitates the linking of two or more graphics boards, is characteristically used in high-end gaming boxes.

Nvidia said that the license agreement, which pertains to the Core i5 and Core i7 microprocessors, will also be applicable to major PC circuit board makers, including ASUS, EVGA, Gigabyte, and MSI.

Going by the terms of the licensing agreement, the 'P55' chipsets - powering the new socket LGA 1156 motherboards based around the next-gen Nehalem design - will facilitate the building up of systems using two or four Nvidia-powered GPUs.

Commenting on the deal, Clem Russo, VP and General Manager of Intel Client Board Division at Intel Corporation, said: "Nvidia SLI technology is a perfect complement to the processing prowess of our new Core i7 and Intel DP55KG desktop board. This combination will surely be attractive to anyone building or purchasing a brand new PC this fall."

The agreement happens to extremely significant because it allows Intel to license the SLI technology before it launches new chips. As such, as Nvidia spokesman Bryan Del Rizzo put it, the new agreement "makes it easier for system builders and PC makers!"