NVIDIA’s Next-Generation GPU Details Revealed
According to unconfirmed information, NVIDIA’s future GPU family, codenamed Blackwell, will include five different chips.
According to unconfirmed information, NVIDIA’s future GPU family , codenamed Blackwell, will include five different chips. According to the leaks, this new set of GPUs will not have a direct successor to the famous and successful NVIDIA AD104 chip. If this information is confirmed, NVIDIA will have to deal with covering different market segments, covering the area in which the AD104 currently operates, using two different GPUs.
Apparently, the NVIDIA Blackwell GPU family will include five different chips known as GB202, GB203, GB205, GB206 and GB207. This is in line with the approach taken with NVIDIA’s and Ampere’s Ada Lovelace GPU lines. The latter also include five processors each in the form of AD102, AD103, AD104, AD106 and AD107, as well as GA102, GA103, GA104, GA106 and GA107 in the case of the Ampere line.
Why NVIDIA’s Blackwell family includes GB200 and not GB100 series processors remains unclear. Usually the “200” series is associated with redesigned GPUs.
Historically, NVIDIA GPUs with the “XXX04” index have served the main performance segment of the market and accounted for 50-66% of transistors from the upper end of the range. However, the gap between the high-performance and mid-range parts was clear. To fill this gap between GA102 and GA104 during the Ampere era, NVIDIA introduced the GA103, and now the same is being done with the Ada Lovelace family: AD103 sits between AD102 and AD104.
Now there are no such wide gaps in NVIDIA’s lineup, and the truncated AD103 can replace the full-fledged AD104, which leads to the need to either get rid of the defective AD103 processors or use them to replace the AD104 with a significant reduction in their potential. Apparently, NVIDIA is trying to avoid such a situation in the future. So GB202 will target the high end of the market (e.g. GeForce RTX 5090, GeForce RTX 5090 Ti), GB203 will cover the high end and performance segments (e.g. GeForce RTX 5080, GeForce RTX 5070 Ti), and GB205 will target the mid market. (GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, GeForce RTX 5060). This will allow NVIDIA to use the full potential of the GB203, even with some defects.
NVIDIA’s next-generation Blackwell GPUs are expected to hit the market in late 2024 or early 2025, and therefore the company’s plans may change by then.
Therefore, the information provided should be treated with caution.
