Looking ahead at the tablet war about to go down in 2011, one name will figure very prominently in the battle: Nvidia’s Tegra 2 processor. The dual-core ARM Cortex A9 chipset will offer performance and experiences like we’ve only dreamed of thus far. The Snapdragon stuff we’ve been drooling over this year will pale by comparison. It seems that everywhere one turns, they see tablet makers promising something Tegra 2 powered. Everyone loves it, especially Google.

According to a Citigroup analyst, Glen Yeung, Google has made the Tegra processor the reference design for their Honeycomb release of Android. In other words, this is what Google thinks tablets and Android need for the optimal user experience. If you remember last year’s Nexus One unveiling, it was leaps and bounds ahead of the phones released in 2009. It set the bar with Google’s expectations.

Given how early in the tablet game we are, Nvidia will not have the easiest of roads ahead. Texas Instruments, Broadcom, Intel, and of course, Qualcomm are all fighting for the biggest piece of pie. One thing is certain, the competitive nature will only drive prices down and offer more choices. Us Android guys like choice, remember?