Skip to main content

Nvidia will reportedly ditch Samsung for its RTX 40-series GPUs

It’s clear that Nvidia is set to launch its RTX 40-series graphics cards sometime in 2022, even if the company has yet to confirm that time frame. A new report from sources close to Taiwan-based factories confirms that Nvidia is set to launch its next-generation GPUs next year and that Nvidia will ditch Samsung as a manufacturing partner.

The report comes from DigiTimes, which says Taiwanese manufacturers are gearing up for Nvidia RTX 40-series graphics cards in anticipation of their 2022 release date. The manufacturer in question is TSMC, which is also behind AMD RX 6000 graphics cards and has, in the past, partnered with Nvidia to create its GPUs.

Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti Founders Edition on a salmon pink background.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

With the RTX 30-series, Nvidia moved away from its long-standing partnership with TSMC to partner with Samsung. RTX 30-series cards are based on Samsung’s 8nm manufacturing process. Reports shortly after launch suggested that Samsung experienced yield issues, however, which could explain why Nvidia is shifting back to TSMC.

Recommended Videos

The report says that RTX 40-series graphics cards will be based on TSMC’s N5 node, which is the same node that AMD is rumored to use for its Ryzen 6000 processors. This new manufacturing process is said to offer a 1.8X increase in transistor density while consuming 30% less power. Rumors for RTX 40-series cards claim they could be up to twice as fast as the previous generation, though at the cost of power. Leakers suggest that the top card could consume as much as 500W.

It’s important to point out that this is still just a rumor. Nvidia hasn’t confirmed that it’s partnering with TSMC or that RTX 40-series cards will be built on the N5 node. That said, multiple sources have publicly said that’s what Nvidia plans to do, and it makes sense. Nvidia has used TSMC for many past GPU generations. The RTX 30-series was an outlier.

There are also rumors of Nvidia rereleasing the RTX 2060 Super with 12GB of video memory. TSMC built the RTX 2060 Super when it was originally released, so Nvidia could be tapping into extra manufacturing potential ahead of its RTX 40-series launch next year.

As for the release date, it’s a rumor, but it also makes sense. Nvidia has traditionally released graphics cards every two years. The first RTX 30-series cards were released in September 2020, which puts the RTX 40-series on track for a fall 2022 release. Right now, rumors point to the first cards arriving in October.

There’s still a lot we don’t know about RTX 40-series cards. Critically, we don’t know how much power they’ll draw or how much they’ll cost. We hope to get a tease from Nvidia at CES 2022, but it’s possible that we won’t hear anything official until the cards are set to launch. The rumor mill will certainly keep turning in the meantime.

Jacob Roach
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
The RTX 5070 Ti may continue Nvidia’s disappointing streak
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang holding an RTX 50 GPU and a laptop.

The disappointing "paper launch" continues. Nvidia's RTX 5070 Ti is just a couple of days away from launch, but whether it'll actually be readily available is another thing entirely. Although it could rival some of the best graphics cards, the GPU is said to be hard to come by, much like the RTX 5090 and the RTX 5080.

It appears that my worries might be about to come true -- the RTX 5070 Ti will only be available on paper and not in reality, at least if this new leak is to be believed. Channel Gate shared an update on the predicted pricing and stock levels for the RTX 5070 Ti, and it's grim news all around.

Read more
Nvidia to expand RTX 50-series with more GPUs for budget gamers
Side view of the RTX 4060

Recent filings with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) by popular GPU manufacturer Zotac (spotted by @harukaze5719 on X), have unveiled potential new additions to Nvidia's RTX 50-series lineup - the RTX 5050, RTX 5060, and RTX 5060 Ti. These registrations suggest that Nvidia is preparing to introduce budget-friendly options within its latest GPU series.

The RTX 5050 is particularly noteworthy, as it would mark Nvidia's potential return to the sub-$250 GPU market—a segment it hasn't actively targeted since the RTX 3050. The absence of a 50-class card in the RTX 40-series left a gap that was filled by older RTX 30-series GPUs and offerings from competitors. The introduction of the RTX 5050 could provide an affordable entry point for gamers seeking to leverage Nvidia’s latest technologies without a significant financial outlay.

Read more
Nvidia may release the RTX 5070 in March to counter AMD’s RDNA 4 GPUs
The RTX 5070 in a graphic.

Nvidia’s upcoming RTX 5070 may now be launching in early March, according to industry analyst MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang on X). Initially expected to debut in February, the source suggests that the mid-range Blackwell GPU has been pushed back—potentially as a strategic move to counter AMD’s upcoming Radeon RX 9070.

Unveiled at CES 2025, the RTX 5070 is currently the most affordable GPU from the RTX 50-series lineup, at least till the RTX 5060 series goes official. It is powered by the GB205 GPU, featuring 48 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), 6,144 CUDA cores, and is equipped with 12GB of GDDR7 memory. The GPU utilizes a 192-bit memory interface, delivering a bandwidth of 672GB/s.

Read more