Nvidia has given up the hopes of introducing its new graphics card architecture in Kepler in 2011, and new rumors suggest that the first samples has left the fab. Nvidia is said to have started sample manufacturing of the GK107 GPU that will be one of the first mobile GPUs based on Kepler and new efficient 28nm technology.
Nvidia GK107 will be in working engineering samples and even if a launch of the first mobile Kepler circuits is not expected until Q2 2012 all signs of life is better than nothing.
Nvidia will most likely launch the first 28nm GPUs already in early 2012, but then an upgraded version of the Fermi architecture, which could be a smart move with a new node that is hard enough to master, without a new GPU architecture like Kepler.
The interesting with the GK107 circuit is that they indicate that Nvidia will not start its introduction of Kepler with its performance chips, which it did with Fermi and GeForce GTX 480. Instead it wants to bring on the less complicated circuits first, then to continue with the more advanced models.
If the information on GK107 is correct we should not expect any bigger circuits – for discrete GeForce cards – until the middle of next year. All of this is still just speculation and should be considered with a pinch of salt. With reports from both AMD and Nvidia about delayed 28nm launch we are starting to get a bit worried about the next generation of graphics cards.
Source: VR-Zone and SemiAccurate
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