NVIDIA to launch 7nm TSMC-made Ampere GPUs in 2021?

A fresh report from the Chinese-language version of DigiTimes backs up earlier rumors about NVIDIA switching to TSMC for the next version of its Ampere GPU. At the moment, NVIDIA is using Samsung's 8nm process to manufacture its Ampere GPUs. We still don't know exactly why. It's rumored that NVIDIA failed to secure enough supply at TSMC because other clients like AMD ramped up orders much more than the green team expected, or that NVIDIA failed to get the pricing it wanted and resorted to Samsung to put pressure on TSMC.

Either way, the use of Samsung's 8nm node is a sub-optimal solution that made the GeForce RTX 30 series less awesome than it could have been. Furthermore, it's also speculated that supply of the Ampere GPUs could be constrained by poor yields of Samsung's 8nm process. TSMC has a proven track record and is well-known for being able to deliver on its promises, while Samsung's foundry is more of a gamble.

The DigiTimes report claims TSMC has become more "friendly" to NVIDIA and that the Ampere line will be transitioned to TSMC's 7nm process. This will reportedly happen in 2021 but specifics are unknown. Ampere GPUs made on TSMC's 7nm process should have lower power consumption and perhaps higher performance than parts made using Samsung's 8nm node. The most likely course of action here is that NVIDIA will introduce an early refresh of its RTX 30 series, perhaps a couple of new SUPER models.

On a related note, there's also speculation that NVIDIA contracted 5nm capacity at TSMC for the future Hopper GPU. The latter is expected to be released in late 2021. Via: TechPowerUp