Nvidia Taps TSMC's 5nm for RTX 40-Series GPU Architectures

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By Anton Shilov
last updated

Nvidia's GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs to adopt TSMC's N5 node.

Nvidia
(Image credit: Nvidia)

Nvidia plans to introduce two brand-new GPU architectures, Ada Lovelace and Hopper (named for American computer scientist Grace Hopper), next year. The new graphics processors will address virtually all segments of the market, and industry sources believe they will be made using TSMC's N5 process technology, reports DigiTimes. This remains a widely reported rumor, so as usual take it with a pinch of salt.

Right now, Nvidia uses Samsung's 8LPP fabrication process to make its Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs, as well as TSMC's N7 node to produce its high-end GA100 datacenter GPU for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) applications. Such a dual-source strategy allows Nvidia to diversify its supply chain, but since neither if its foundries get the maximum orders, it cannot really get the maximum allocation. As a result, next year the company will exclusively use TSMC for all of its upcoming GPUs.

Ampere Silicon

(Image credit: Nvidia)

Next year Nvidia plans to introduce two GPU architectures: the Hopper architecture for datacenters, AI, and HPC applications as well as the Ada Lovelace architecture for gaming GeForce GPUs.

Nvidia’s Hopper H100 GPU is expected to be the company’s first multi-die compute GPU to maximise performance per socket. The multi-die GPU is projected to be paired with HBM memory and will use TSMC’s chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology.

By contrast, Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 40-series Ada Lovelace GPUs are aimed at gamers and are likely to use traditional memory and FC-BGA packaging. DigiTimes claims that ASE Technology was tapped to test and package such GPUs.

What is completely unclear is when exactly Nvidia plans to introduce its next-generation GPUs. Based on rumors, the company intends to refresh its GeForce 30-series family once again early next year with new Ti and Super parts. Since it does not make sense to refresh a lineup if you plan to launch a brand-new series shortly, we may speculate that Ada Lovelace graphics cards will only be available sometime in late 2022.

Keeping in mind that Nvidia’s A100 compute GPU now has a strong rival in the form of AMD’s Instinct MI200-series accelerators, Nvidia is certainly interested in launching its Hopper architecture sooner rather than later. To that end, we will likely see Hopper arriving ahead of Lovelace.

Nvidia did not comment on the news story, as the company traditionally does not publicly talk about future products.

Anton Shilov
Anton Shilov
Freelance News Writer

Anton Shilov is a Freelance News Writer at Tom’s Hardware US. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.

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116 Comments Comment from the forums
  • peachpuff
    Out of stock already...
    Reply
  • DerKeyser
    Very nice if it ever became possible for us average users to buy them. But due to scalpers and climate destroying cryptocurrencies, that’s unfortunately not happening.
    Completely idiotic that cryptocurrencies (Tulip buds of our time) are still investment objects. Obviously the rich and the criminals needs a way to move their illegal funds around digitally, but why are banks and millions of people investing in these? Obviously because to much money has been printed in the central banks the last 30 years….. but still…..
    The economies of today - based on unbacked printed and loaned funds are A GIGANTIC financial experiment that will fail at some point.

    Mod Edit - Language
    Reply
  • VforV
    peachpuff said:
    Out of stock already...
    RTX 4090 Out of Stock Before You Buy SCALPER Edition - Jensen Signed.
    Reply
  • Endymio
    DerKeyser said:
    due to scalpers and climate destroying cryptocurrencies, that’s unfortunately not happening.
    Take a deep breath. It'll be all right.

    Now, for a little breath of reason. Scalpers don't decrease the overall supply of cards: they actually increase the ability of consumers to purchase products -- if you're willing to pay fair market value. (when "fair" is defined in proper economic terms, not a manufacturer's MSRP.)

    As for the ludicrous hyperpole of "climate-destroying cryptocurrency", I'll merely point out that these cards consume electricity whether they're in a miner's rig or in yours. At least in a miner's rig they're doing something arguably more productive than simply generating prety pictures.
    Reply
  • King_V
    Endymio said:
    Scalpers don't decrease the overall supply of cards: they actually increase the ability of consumers to purchase products

    Oh, here we go again....

    No. They. Don't.

    Your logic makes ZERO sense. You keep repeating this whole fair-market-value mantra like a holy chant, but that does not increase the ability of consumers to purchase products.

    Only ONE thing can increase the ability of consumers to purchase products, and that is an increase in supply.
    Reply
  • husker
    Endymio said:
    As for the ludicrous hyperpole of "climate-destroying cryptocurrency", I'll merely point out that these cards consume electricity whether they're in a miner's rig or in yours. At least in a miner's rig they're doing something arguably more productive than simply generating prety pictures.

    I do not think governments should restrict mining, but China has forbidden mining supposedly because of the strain it puts on the electrical grid. Gaming has no such restrictions (yet). That is because gamers do not have arrays consisting of dozens of video cards working at maximum power for 24 hours a day. Do I think cryptocurrency mining is destroying the climate? No, I don't. Do I believe that the universe of video cards are using far more electricity with crypto mining than without it? Absolutely. Those "pretty pictures" may be worthless to you, but to others they are not. And, yes, crypto is worth money but is that the only standard by which we judge the worthiness of something? If so then it is best for everyone to sell their gaming rigs because, hey, you get money.
    Reply
  • JamesJones44
    Oh good, maybe this means I can get an RTX 30 for only 125% of the MSRP instead of 200% MSRP.
    Reply
  • GenericUser
    VforV said:
    RTX 4090 Out of Stock Before You Buy SCALPER Edition - Jensen Signed.

    If you remove the signature, that's just the normal founders edition.
    Reply
  • Endymio
    King_V said:
    You keep repeating this whole fair-market-value mantra like a holy chant, but does not increase the ability of consumers to purchase products.
    Of course it does. You can purchase all these cards today -- if you're willing to pay fair market price. Without the scalper, your only hope is to win the card lottery.
    Reply
  • Endymio
    husker said:
    Those "pretty pictures" may be worthless to you, but to others they are not.
    No, they're not worthless to me. I'm simply trying to get you to understand that crypto mining may be worthless to you, but it's not to others. To each their own. Making decisions about which activities of others are "worthwhile" and which are not is a slippery slope which ultimately leads to authoritarianism. From the gist of your other remarks, I believe you understand that yourself, so I won't preach further on that topic.

    Yes, crypto is worth money but is that the only standard by which we judge the worthiness of something?
    The value of crypto is not because it is "worth" money, but because it, as a medium of exchange with benefits above those of government-issued currencies, adds utility to the global economy. That may be a difficult argument to swallow for those of you who have lived your entire lives in the US or other reasonably-laissez faire economies; but it is still correct. As just one small example a couple years back, when the citizens of Venezuela were having their lifetime wealth destroyed in a hyperinflationary spiral and their government essentially banned foreign funds transfer, crypto was the only escape for many of these people.
    Reply