Briefly: Whereas overlaying a variety of subjects throughout his keynote at Nvidia’s GTC, CEO Jensen Huang briefly touched on the corporate’s GPU roadmap past the upcoming Rubin structure. The Feynman era and those who comply with will possible undertake semiconductor nodes that includes gate-all-around (GAA) transistors – the subsequent evolution in transistor know-how after FinFET.
Throughout a Q&A session on the GPU Know-how Convention, Huang estimated a roughly 20% efficiency uplift from transitioning to GAA structure. His feedback supply an early indication of the corporate’s expectations for future graphics chip designs.
Semiconductor producers reminiscent of TSMC and Intel have touted GAA transistors as a key know-how for course of nodes past 3nm. Current nodes, together with 3nm, have employed FinFET, a construction the place the transistor gate surrounds the present channel on three sides. Nonetheless, as bleeding-edge transistors shrink and grow to be extra densely packed in superior nodes, electrical leakage turns into a rising concern.
Additionally see: How CPUs are constructed, the design course of – touches on the fundamentals of how transistors work
GAA addresses this challenge by stacking present channels vertically, growing the whole channel space whereas permitting gates to encompass the channels on all 4 sides. Though the method is costlier, it enhances each efficiency and power effectivity.
Intel’s upcoming 18A node will introduce GAA with Panther Lake laptop computer CPUs and Clearwater Forest server processors later this yr. TSMC plans to undertake GAA for its 2nm N2 course of, which is nearing manufacturing and is anticipated to debut within the iPhone 18 Professional’s A20 SoC in late 2026.
At GTC, Huang formally revealed Nvidia’s subsequent GPU era, Vera Rubin, which will likely be constructed on TSMC’s N3 node and is anticipated to grow to be accessible to enterprise purchasers subsequent yr. He additionally shared early particulars about Rubin’s successor, Feynman, which is anticipated to reach in 2028.
Though info on Feynman’s semiconductor course of is forthcoming, it is prone to make the most of a 2nm-class node, although Nvidia may contemplate Intel’s 18A. In both case, GAA will likely be a key element. Huang remarked that whereas a 20% efficiency increase from GAA is not revolutionary, “we’ll take what we will get.”
In the meantime, bottom energy supply is rising as one other essential know-how for sub-3nm nodes. TSMC shouldn’t be anticipated to implement it till the next node referred to as A16 starting 2026, whereas Intel will introduce its model with 18A later this yr.
Apparently, throughout the GTC Q&A, Huang additionally described Nvidia as an “AI infrastructure firm.” Whereas Nvidia rose to prominence for its gaming GPUs, the AI increase has propelled the worth of its enterprise division into the multi-trillion-dollar vary.
