Skip to main content

Nvidia finally delivers good news on future of the GPU shortage

The current graphics card shortage has made it tough to be a PC gamer. However, Nvidia thinks there is a light at the end of the shortage tunnel. The company expects supplies to improve by the middle of 2022.

Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress explained at the UBS Global TMT conference that the company has been successful in increasing GPU supplies during the shortage, according to PCMag. Specifically, Nvidia spent billions to shore up long-term agreements with various manufacturers. This due diligence should lead to more supplies to make graphics cards, thus decreasing the overall shortage.

Recommended Videos

Nvidia wants to wait until there is a “reasonable amount of supply” to lower prices.

“The company as a whole will take the appropriate work to continue to procure more supply,” Kress said. “We’ve been able to grow quite well during this year, each quarter, sequentially growing. And we do continue to plan to do that for Q4.”

Kress didn’t say exactly which manufacturers Nvidia made deals with, but Samsung is a likely one due to Nvidia’s Ampere architecture being built on its 8mn process nodes. Cress did point out that long-term deals take a while to have an impact. While the company would love to lower the prices, she said Nvidia wants to wait until there is a “reasonable amount of supply” to do that.

Time will tell if Nvidia is able to truly alleviate supply issues next year. Even Nvidia’s own CEO, Jensen Huang, believes that shortages will continue through next year. That said, Huang has extolled his company’s ability to source supplies from multiple vendors, combined with its ability to scale.

Outside of savvy partnerships with fabs, Nvidia is also trying to push the U.S. government for policy actions. Nvidia, along with other tech companies, are asking the Biden administration to exclude graphics cards from the former Trump administration’s tariffs on imports from China. The tariffs on semiconductors and printed circuit boards (PCBs) have at least partially contributed to the sky-high prices of graphics cards.

One of the ongoing problems with the shortage is with scalpers and cryptominers. About 25% of all GPUs sold during the first half of 2021 went to miners. Even if Nvidia manages to increase its supply, that doesn’t guarantee that scalpers and miners won’t scoop up the extra supply. Nvidia’s next-gen “Lovelace” graphics cards look to possess insane power, but it won’t matter if they’re just as scarce as the current-gen Ampere cards.

David Matthews
Former Digital Trends Contributor
David is a freelance journalist based just outside of Washington D.C. specializing in consumer technology and gaming. He has…
GPU shortage got you down? These PCs from Gigabyte could be an option
Two Gigabyte Aorus gaming desktops.

As buying one of the best graphics cards is a herculean task right now, switching to a prebuilt is a reasonable alternative. To that end, Gigabyte has just released some interesting high-end desktop PCs for gamers that should do the trick. Equipped with Nvidia's latest and greatest, as well as every gamer's favorite CPU, they're available now, but who knows how long it takes before they too are sold out.

Gigabyte's new PC, the Aorus Supreme 5, is now available in four different variants. Gigabyte decked it out with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which is the best gaming CPU right now, as well as its own motherboards and graphics cards. There are really two configurations, but both are available in either black or white. I was surprised to find that the "Ice" (white) build didn't cost any extra, because buying white components usually adds a premium to the base price tag.

Read more
GPUs are too expensive: how to buy a graphics card right now
The RTX 5080 sitting on a pink background.

It's like it's 2021 all over again. The prices of the best graphics cards are through the roof, and frankly, even the worst GPUs we've seen in the last few years are expensive. Every single card from the current generation is selling well above the recommended list price (MSRP), and unfortunately, what little remains of the previous gens is pricey, too.

If you're struggling to buy a GPU right now, I can relate. I've been through this myself in the last cryptocurrency mining-fueled GPU shortage when my old GTX 1060 was on its last legs and I was desperate to snag a new card. Here's what's happening right now and what you can do to still buy a graphics card right now.
New report says the MSRP is pretty much dead

Read more
Nvidia’s next-gen GPUs could get a major design change, here’s why that’s good news
Nvidia Blackwell chips.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is reportedly working with Nvidia to develop next-generation GPUs utilizing advanced chiplet technology. This collaboration is expected to play an important role in Nvidia’s upcoming "Rubin" architecture, which is rumored to be the successor to the current Blackwell generation.

The shift toward a chiplet-based design marks a notable departure from traditional monolithic GPU structures, offering improved performance, scalability, and cost efficiency. Chiplet technology enables manufacturers to assemble multiple smaller semiconductor dies into a single package, allowing for better yields and reducing production costs.

Read more