Microsoft has cut the price of the Surface RT in recent weeks due to slow sales, but it appears there are other reasons the company wants to shift its current tablet supplies. In an interview with CNET, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has revealed that the chipmaker is working together with Microsoft on the next-generation Surface. Despite Microsoft's $900 million Surface RT write-down, Huang is hopeful about the upcoming Surface refresh.

After claiming Outlook for Surface RT would make his "life complete," and labelling Windows RT disappointing, Huang now believes that the inclusion of Microsoft's mail application in an upcoming update is "the killer app" for Windows 8.1. "Now we're going to bring it with the second-generation Surface," says Huang. "We're working really hard on it, and we hope that it's going to be a big success."

More than one next-generation Surface running Windows RT?

Nvidia's confirmation suggests that Microsoft is working on multiple versions of its Surface tablets. Previous reports have revealed that Microsoft is testing Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor, and the software maker is believed to be preparing a 7- or 8-inch Surface tablet. It's likely that Microsoft will continue to use Nvidia's Tegra chips for its Surface RT product, while planning the Qualcomm work for other products. Microsoft recently teased plans to update its Surface RT and Surface Pro devices, alongside new accessory colors.

The Verge has reached out to Microsoft to comment on Nvidia's comments, and we'll update you accordingly.

Update: Microsoft is not commenting on any next-generation Surface plans.