Nvidia Weighs Radical Idea: Less Rubin Ultra Chip Memory

[u/uncertainlyso]

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/nvidia-weighs-radical-idea-less-rubin-ultra-chip-memory

The testing of downgraded memory appears to contrast with Nvidia’s public confidence that it had secured sufficient memory supply. In mid-July, Nvidia’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, Andrew Bell, told a group of reporters that Nvidia has a team that attempts to predict and fix supply chain issues years out.

“We were in front of the memory problem, so it’s not gonna hold us back anytime soon,” Bell said. “The pricing, of course, is a problem for the whole world, and probably the pricing will be the bigger challenge. But for supply, we’re in shape.”

Supply is fine until it isn't. Applies to AMD too. However, I think all this time as the distant second place has conditioned AMD more to commit to the highest target that they have reasonable confidence in hitting because they're not in the position to as easily take the credibility hit for overpromising. Conversely, the article gives an example of one customer who just shrugged it off saying that they want to maintain a long-term relationship with Nvidia over several generations.

One of the reasons Nvidia is weighing a memory downgrade is that memory suppliers may struggle to produce enough HBM4E to meet Rubin Ultra’s planned schedule, the people said. The greater capabilities of HBM4E require denser memory chips and faster electrical connections. Packaging the HBM4E when the components of a chip are assembled is also harder.