14 DAY TRIAL // The long list of unfavorable developments caused by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has just increased by one, as reports say that the latest episode in the 40nm yields saga has NVIDIA faced with tight supply. Apparently, the situation at TSMC is so dire that NVIDIA can't even get enough CUDA cores for its GeForce GTX 470 and 480 cards. Having initially planned on a higher number of such cores on each device, the Santa Clara graphics processing unit maker is now forced to settle for fewer.
Digitimes reports that TSMC's 40nm yields are still under 50%, even though the semiconductor manufacturer was previously revealed to have gotten over most problems. Nevertheless, this doesn't seem to be the case, with the most immediate effect being the reduced number of CUDA cores on both the GTX 400 series adapters. The GeForce GTX 480, for instance, was initially planned to have no less than 512 CUDA cores but, at least the first batch of cards, will only boast 480. The GTX 470 will also only have 448 Cores. This means that, essentially, NVIDIA's cards will be somewhat weaker because of tight chip supply.
The report states that, according to the same sources, TSMC's low yields will also be the main factor behind the reduced initial availability of the two graphics adapters. While the official announcement will be made on March 26, volume shipments won't actually start before April 6. Of course, NVIDIA chose not to comment on products that have not yet been announced.
Hearing that the first batch of Fermi will be less potent than originally planned will most likely stir dissatisfaction in performance enthusiasts. It seems that the only consolation these consumers will have consists of the lower-than-expected price tags of $349 for the GTX 470 and $499 for the GTX 480.