Nvidia reportedly delays its next AI chip due to a design flaw

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses a delay in the production of Nvidia's "Blackwell" B200 AI chips, which are the follow-up to the popular H100 chips. The delay is due to a design flaw discovered late in the production process, and Nvidia is now working to resolve the issue through additional testing with chip producer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The delay will push back the availability of the Blackwell chips, which were previously expected to be available from partners starting in 2024.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Nvidia's Blackwell B200 AI Chips

1. What is the cause of the delay in the production of Nvidia's Blackwell B200 AI chips?

• The delay is the result of a design flaw discovered "unusually late in the production process," according to two unnamed sources, including a Microsoft employee.

2. How long will the delay be?

• The Blackwell chips will take at least three months longer to produce than was originally planned.

3. Who are the major customers for the Blackwell chips?

• Microsoft, Google, and Meta have ordered "tens of billions of dollars" worth of the Blackwell chips.

4. When were the Blackwell-based products previously expected to be available?

• Nvidia had previously said that "Blackwell-based products will be available from partners" starting in 2024.

5. How does the Blackwell chip relate to Nvidia's previous H100 chip?

• The Blackwell B200 chips are the follow-up to the supremely popular and hard-to-get H100 chips that power vast swaths of the artificial intelligence cloud landscape.