NVIDIA "Blackwell" series is barely out with B100, B200, and GB200 chips shipping to OEMs and hyperscalers, but the company is already setting in its upgraded "Blackwell Ultra" plans with its upcoming GB300 AI server. According to UDN, the next generation NVIDIA system will be powered by the B300 GPU chip, operating at 1400 W and delivering a remarkable 1.5x improvement in FP4 performance per card compared to its B200 predecessor. One of the most notable upgrades is the memory configuration, with each GPU now sporting 288 GB of HBM3e memory, a substantial increase from the previous 192 GB of GB200. The new design implements a 12-layer stack architecture, advancing from the GB200's 8-layer configuration. The system's cooling infrastructure has been completely reimagined, incorporating advanced water cooling plates and enhanced quick disconnects in the liquid cooling system.

Networking capabilities have also seen a substantial upgrade, with the implementation of ConnectX 8 network cards replacing the previous ConnectX 7 generation, while optical modules have been upgraded from 800G to 1.6T, ensuring faster data transmission. Regarding power management and reliability, the GB300 NVL72 cabinet will standardize capacitor tray implementation, with an optional Battery Backup Unit (BBU) system. Each BBU module costs approximately $300 to manufacture, with a complete GB300 system's BBU configuration totaling around $1,500. The system's supercapacitor requirements are equally substantial, with each NVL72 rack requiring over 300 units, priced between $20-25 per unit during production due to its high-power nature. The GB300, carrying Grace CPU and Blackwell Ultra GPU, also introduces the implementation of LPCAMM on its computing boards, indicating that the LPCAMM memory standard is about to take over servers, not just laptops and desktops. We have to wait for the official launch before seeing LPCAMM memory configurations.

NVIDIA is reportedly considering a significant design change for its GPU products, shifting from the current on-board solution to an independent GPU socket design following the GB200 shipment in Q4, according to reports from MoneyDJ and the Economic Daily News quoted by TrendForce. This move is not new in the industry, AMD has already introduced socket design in 2023 with their MI300A series via Supermicro dedicated servers. The B300 series, expected to become NVIDIA's mainstream product in the second half of 2025, is rumored to be the main beneficiary of this design change that could improve yield rates, though it may come with some performance trade-offs.

According to the Economic Daily News, the socket design will simplify after-sales service and server board maintenance, allowing users to replace or upgrade the GPUs quickly. The report also pointed out that based on the slot design, boards will contain up to four NVIDIA GPUs and a CPU, with each GPU having its dedicated slot. This will bring benefits for Taiwanese manufacturers like Foxconn and LOTES, who will supply different components and connectors. The move seems logical since with the current on-board design, once a GPU becomes faulty, the entire motherboard needs to be replaced, leading to significant downtime and high operational and maintenance costs.