Intel, NVIDIA settle with a $1.5 billion license

Intel and NVIDIA have settled their patent-plus litigation, with Intel agreeing to license NVIDIA's patents for $1.5 billion (US).  The Intel press release is HERE, and the Globe and Mail's less-than-helpful article is HERE  (hey Globe - might you at least tell us what sort of lawsuit they are settling, or the basis for the suit?). 

Technically, the settlement is a cross-license - Intel can use a set of NVIDIA patents, and NVIDIA can use a set of Intel patents.  Scuttlebutt is that Intel is going to (continue to? ;) ) use technology covered by the NVIDIA patents in their products, but NVIDIA has no plans to get back into computer chipsets - which probably explains the $1.5 billion payment from Intel to NVIDIA.  This also might be bad news for AMD, which is a competitor ot both NVIDIA and Intel but in different markets.