Tuesday, March 15th 2016
AMD Unveils GPU Architecture Roadmap, "Polaris" to Skip HBM2 Memory?
Alongside its big Radeon Pro Duo flagship graphics card launch, AMD unveiled its GPU architecture roadmap that looks as far into the future as early-2018. By then, AMD will have launched as many as three new GPU architectures. It begins with the launch of its 4th generation Graphics CoreNext architecture, codenamed "Polaris," in mid-2016. Built on the 14 nm FinFET process, "Polaris" is expected to offer a whopping 2.5x increase in performance-per-Watt for AMD, compared to its current GCN 1.2 architecture on 28 nm.
Hot on Polaris' heels, in early-2017, AMD plans to launch the "Vega" GPU architecture. While this appears to offer a 50% increase in performance-per-Watt over Polaris, its highlight is HBM2 memory. Does this mean that AMD plans to skip HBM2 on Polaris, and stick to GDDR5X? Could AMD be opting for a similar approach to NVIDIA, by launching its performance-segment GPU first as an enthusiast product, giving it a free run on the markets till early-2017, and then launching a Vega-based big-chip with HBM2 memory, taking over as the enthusiast-segment product? Some time in early-2018, AMD will launch the "Navi" architecture, which appears to offer a 2.5x performance-per-Watt lead over Polaris, taking advantage of an even newer memory standard.
Hot on Polaris' heels, in early-2017, AMD plans to launch the "Vega" GPU architecture. While this appears to offer a 50% increase in performance-per-Watt over Polaris, its highlight is HBM2 memory. Does this mean that AMD plans to skip HBM2 on Polaris, and stick to GDDR5X? Could AMD be opting for a similar approach to NVIDIA, by launching its performance-segment GPU first as an enthusiast product, giving it a free run on the markets till early-2017, and then launching a Vega-based big-chip with HBM2 memory, taking over as the enthusiast-segment product? Some time in early-2018, AMD will launch the "Navi" architecture, which appears to offer a 2.5x performance-per-Watt lead over Polaris, taking advantage of an even newer memory standard.
46 Comments on AMD Unveils GPU Architecture Roadmap, "Polaris" to Skip HBM2 Memory?
Still more disappointed with Nvidia though considering their much larger market share.
It seems simply there wont be enough HBM2 memory by the end of the year. As shippings start only in Q3. And that is too late.
First chips will be like 7970 and 680 repeating history. Like start from the middle end. It smells even like conspiracy...
Question is, how wide will the bus for both of them. If it is 384Bit+ then who cares HBM2 or not, it will be enough.
As for AMD, presumption is continued use of HBM1? or GDDR5X if they require higher memory usage beyond 4Gb? Either way, HBM's primary benefit is lower power consumption.
Even non-HBM memory bandwidth is more than enough.
The main purpose of putting HBM1 on fury cards was to
-reduce power consumption
-reduce the cards size and use this space
-to add more stream processors and shit without making a card huge and too power hungry.
Polaris is gonna be built on 14nm FinFET (vs 28nm fury).
Nvidia has a much larger market share, aka much more money to spend on development.
They could much easier then AMD just make the jump for all their future cards to HBM2 if they wanted to but nope.avi, rather just have another incremental update then giving consumers the full beans right away because MOAR MONEYZZZ
Company could give us A B and C in one new generation but they rather give us A first, then A and B, then A B and C because again, moar moneyz.
It looks like AMD may be seeing the same thing and reserving HBM2 for their high end card designs later on down the line.
Who said anything about driving up the price, how about instead of going for moar profits cuz moar moneyz they just make less profit and push tech.
No they are not obligated to do anything, but we as consumers are also not obligated to purchase crappy incremental upgrades.
Id much rather have us all as consumers make a stand and demand better.
AMD statet that there will be two chips. So nothing changed, just some inaccuracy of the roadmap...
So nothing new here...
2. nVidia can NOT just go for HBM, because HBM is a completely different beast than every other memory technology so far!
The manufacturing process is stil pretty damn complicated and for low long has AMD worked on HBM?! Do you really think that they just let nVdia use this technology?!
Besides:
AMD has already an HBM chip out and knows of the downsides - nVidia has not!
So isn't it safe to assume that nVidia may need some more R&D sessions than AMD because they don't know shit about HBM?!
Just having the spec is worthless this time!
Because how do you mount the memory onto the interposer!
You need some experimenting for that...
And also you need the machienery for that - and you can bet that AMD has exclusive concracts with everyone able to place the chips onto the interposer - especially since AMD is one of the HBM pioneers!!!
And nVidia is just again the parasite that comes around when everything is done - like they did with GDDR4 and GDDR5...
Buttom line:
There's a Polaris chip missing on the roadmap, the one that will have HBM.
And HBM insn't as easy to implement this time because it's completely different.
And have you any infos that AMD will use GDDR-5X?! I haven't herad anything about it...
And why should AMD use GDDR-5X?! There's no need for that - with the smaller chip they don't need it, that's something for notebooks and something like that. And with the bigger one they'll use HBM...