NVIDIA Preps Three 40nm Chips This Year

Sunnyvale, California-based graphics chip maker NVIDIA is expected to debut its first graphics processing units, featuring the next-generation 40nm manufacturing process. The exact details regarding the company's foray into the 40nm process technology are yet to emerge, but according to some recently made comments by its CEO, it is aggressively ramping production on three new GPUs, leveraging TSMC's 40nm manufacturing node. These new graphics accelerators are expected to debut before the end of the year and will account for about 25-30 percent of NVIDIA's all shipping GPUs in 2009.

During a last week's financial conference call, NVIDIA's CEO, Mr. Jen-Hsun Huang, confirmed that the company was working on its upcoming 40nm-based lineup and that we were going to see three new GPUs using the new manufacturing node.

“We are ramping 40nm probably harder than anybody and so we have three products in line now in 40nm and more coming shortly,” said Mr. Huang in response to questions following the earnings call. “We have the vast majority of their line cranking right now with new products. We are monitoring yields and they are improving nicely week-to-week-to-week and so at this point there's not really much to report,” he continued.

According to Mr. Huang, his company expects around 25 to 30 percent of all its shipping GPUs to be manufactured using the new 40nm technology, while the remaining units will be based on the current 55nm, especially since the chip maker has almost cleared its inventory of 65nm chips. There are also reports that NVIDIA will also debut its next-generation GT300 GPU, which will likely be built on 40nm and will be unveiled before the end of the year.

The company is currently looking to catch up with AMD, which has already announced its first 40nm-based desktop GPU, the Radeon HD 4770, following the introduction of the first 40nm chips in early March, designed for portable computers.