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Tom’s Hardware
Tom’s Hardware
Technology
Bruno Ferreira

Nvidia's RTX 5000 Super could be cancelled or get pricier due to AI-induced GDDR7 woes — rumor claims 3 GB memory chips are now too valuable for consumer GPUs

GDDR7 memory modules from SK hynix.

The demand for hardware to power and train AI models has steadily been devouring computing component supplies. The latest casualty, if a rumor posted by X user Uniko's Hardware is to be believed, could be next-gen consumer GPUs. They claim that the shortage of 3 GB GDDR7 chips will lead to Nvidia outright cancelling the RTX 5000 Super series of graphics cards.

The current RTX 50-series cards use 2 GB GDDR7 chips, and the newer cards are expected to use 3 GB GDDR7 chips. The problem is that not only is RAM fab capacity constrained by AI gobbling up most of Samsung and Micron's production, Nvidia might also save its existing stock of 3 GB chips for high-profit models like the RTX Pro 6000.

While GDDR7 production is apparently still ramping up, we would expect that for the time being, the extra capacity will be gobbled up by AI accelerators of various shapes and sizes, including Chinese ones.

Plus, the question remains as to whether Samsung, SK Hynix et al will even bother dedicating fab capacity for GDDR7 when they can adapt existing lines to make HBM at far juicier profit margins.

It wouldn't look good for Nvidia to cancel or delay a potential RTX 5000 Super launch, as the company likely wants to continue to keep its presence known in the gaming space even though it's but a fraction of its income.

The Super cards were never formally announced, though the rumor mill suggests they're meant to come in as direct replacements for the extant 5070, 5070 Ti, and 5080 models, hopefully helping to bring down prices on those cards.

If any cards materialize, they may arrive at high prices and sell out quickly. That's not really a new story. Think about it: Almost every contemporary graphics card released by Nvidia and AMD has been in this mold, with barely-there stock and headline-grabbing MSRPs that only become real months or years later—if even then, as the RTX 5090 attests.

That doesn't seem likely at this point, at least judging by the European landscape. High-end Nvidia card stock is steadily running out, and prices are increasing, as I can personally attest to having recently bought an RTX 5080 and watched daily changes as I hunted for a deal.

On the other hand, we have to take this rumor with some reservations, as there's been no official sign of these cards from Nvidia in the first place, and we're not aware of its plans. Here's hoping all these predictions are wrong.

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