[News] NVIDIA Might Consider Swap HBM for GDDR in Cut-Down H20 for China, Giving Samsung a Lift

Following the latest export curbs on NVIDIA’s H20, the U.S. chip giant is said to be developing a downgraded version of the chip to be sold in China. As the revamped chip is expected to have significant cuts, particularly in memory capacity, a New Daily report hints that NVIDIA might replace HBM with GDDR, potentially disrupting the memory supply chain.

As noted by Reuters, Team Green has already given major Chinese cloud providers a heads-up about the upcoming launch. The toned-down version of the H20, shaped by newly set technical limits, could be released as early as July, according to Reuters.

Currently, South Korea’s Digital Times reports that NVIDIA is sticking with its HBM3 order from Samsung and SK hynix, with SK hynix leading the supply. However, if NVIDIA switches to GDDR for the new chip, New Daily suggests Samsung could emerge as a key supplier.

The report notes that while using older HBM instead of the latest HBM3E was considered, it’s no longer a realistic option, as memory giants are gradually phasing out legacy products like HBM2E and HBM3. Therefore, attention is now turning to GDDR, with Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron all rolling out GDDR7, the report adds.

New Battleground for Samsung and SK hynix

Both Samsung and SK hynix have experiences of collaborating with NVIDIA on GDDR7. According to Tom’s Hardware, NVIDIA has rolled out its Blackwell lineup, including the RTX 5090, 5090D, 5080, 5070 Ti, and 5070. While most use 28 Gbps GDDR7 chips, the RTX 5080 features a faster 30 Gbps version, as per the report.

In late 2024, Samsung announced that it has developed the industry’s first 24- Gb GDDR7 DRAM, adding that by utilizing 5th-generation 10-nanometer (nm)-class DRAM, the product could increase cell density by 50% while maintaining the same package size as the predecessor.

Notably, the report hints that NVIDIA’s RTX 50 series is powered by Samsung’s GDDR7, but SK hynix has recently joined as a second supplier.

Read more

• [News] NVIDIA Reportedly Developing New Chip for China After H20 Restrictions, with Samples Expected by June
• [News] NVIDIA Reportedly Takes $5.5B Charge Over U.S. H20 Sales Restrictions, Risks $18B Revenue Loss in 2025

(Photo credit: Samsung)