[News] NVIDIA Might Stop Bundling VRAM with GPUs amid Memory Crunch, Squeezing Smaller Board Partners

While memory crunch intensified, the wave is not only blowing to consumer products like smartphones and PCs, but even the biggest tech giant is feeling the pinch. Tom’s Hardware, citing leaker Golden Pig Upgrade, reports that NVIDIA has stopped bundling VRAM with the GPUs it sells to AIBs, leaving partners to secure the memory on their own.

If the rumors hold, this wouldn’t be NVIDIA’s first move to counter soaring memory prices. Hankyung notes that NVIDIA and AMD are reportedly considering phasing out mid- to low-end gaming GPUs, where memory makes up a large part of costs.

Regarding the latest rumors, Tom’s Hardware notes that since NVIDIA doesn’t produce VRAM, the usual approach has been either direct supply to major AIBs or bundling memory with GPUs for board partners. If Team Green goes ahead with this move to stop bundling VRAM, smaller partners—already operating on razor-thin margins—would feel the real pressure, the report adds.

For bigger players, sourcing GDDR independently is routine; they have the connections and expertise to follow NVIDIA’s specs and keep memory aligned with reference designs, the report says.

TechPowerUp points out that this new approach could allow NVIDIA to deliver RTX 50-series Founders Edition GPUs without hiccups, while reserving VRAM for ‘Rubin CPX’ and ‘Vera Rubin’ servers.

On the other hand, AMD seems to be making a move as well. TechPowerUp reports that the company recently notified its supply chain of a roughly 10% price hike across its entire GPU lineup, driven by soaring DRAM prices amid a tight memory market. AMD’s AIB partners have been informed, and industry watchers cited by the report expect similar increases to follow in the coming weeks to protect margins.

Read more

• [News] NVIDIA, AMD Reportedly Weigh Discontinuing Mid- to-Low-End Gaming GPUs amid Rising Memory Costs
• [News] Memory Crunch Ripples Across Chip Supply Chain: SMIC, NVIDIA, Device Makers Feel the Hit

(Photo credit: NVIDIA)