Lenovo’s first generation Windows RT tablets will be powered by Tegra chips. According to the Wall Street Journal, Lenovo has struck a deal with Nvidia to provide ARM parts for its upcoming Windows tablets.

Asus and Microsoft have already announced plans to use Tegra chips in their upcoming Windows RT tablets, while most other vendors will use Qualcomm or Texas Instruments chips.

Qualcomm chips will power Samsung and Dell tablets, TI chips will end up in Toshiba tablets, while Nvidia gets Asus, Lenovo and Microsoft.

Bear in mind that this is only the initial round of OEM licensing and Microsoft will lift licensing restrictions in January, allowing smaller vendors to enter the Windows RT market, provided it does not flop.

By allowing only three ARM licensees and a handful of major vendors to dabble with Windows RT, Redmond is probably trying to cut down on fragmentation and focus on just a few products with classy brands, trading sheer design wins for quality.

So, Qualcomm and Nvidia will clearly win the first round and it remains to be seen whether Samsung and TI, with their upcoming Exynos 5 and OMAP 5 chips, can get an upper hand in early 2013.

More here.