What just happened? Longtime graphics player Matrox this week announced a partnership with former rival Nvidia to develop a new range of multi-display embedded graphics cards for high-density video walls. The cards will leverage Nvidia's Quadro GPU to power commercial and 24/7 critical environment applications, we're told.

Matrox is a name that longtime hardware folks are likely familiar with. The company launched its first graphics card in the late 70s and tried its hand at consumer-focused 3D accelerators in the mid-90s. Unfortunately, its offerings often fell short in comparison to similar products from Nvidia and ATI.

Eventually, Matrox pivoted, finding a home catering to industrial, government and enterprise clients with niche needs.

David Chiappini, executive vice president of research and development at Matrox, said they are thrilled to work alongside Nvidia, the leader in GPU computing, to bring to market a new standard of high-density video walls.

"This collaboration is yet another example of our commitment to expanding our video wall portfolio while customers continue to benefit from our graphics expertise, world-class engineering, dedicated technical support, and long product life cycles," he added.

The new line will consist of single-slot graphics cards capable of powering up to four synchronized 4K displays at once although installers will be able to combine multiple cards to drive up to 16 displays from a single system. The cards will support the playback of HDCP protected content and are compatible with Matrox's PowerDesk management software for configuration and customization purposes.

No word yet on pricing and availability.