NVIDIA Allegedly Mulls Shipping GPUs To Partners Without GDDR7 VRAM

Rumors indicate that amidst the ongoing DRAM shortage, and resulting price hikes, NVIDIA may stop bundling its GPUs with VRAM for its AIB (Add-In Board) partners. This rumor originates from Golden Pig Upgrade Pack on Chinese social media platform Weibo, and if true, could prove troublesome for some of NVIDIA's smaller board partners. Rumors indicate AMD has warned its AIB partners that pricing will increase by 10% next year, but it appears NVIDIA may be taking a different approach.

While NVIDIA clearly has the resources to secure VRAM for its GPUs, a number of AIB partners (especially smaller ones) may not, which could force them to reduce output or force them out of the market entirely. AIB partners who do continue producing NVIDIA cards could also be forced to increase prices, if they can't secure the same kind of volume pricing NVIDIA can.


This story harkens back to EVGA's exit from the GPU market back in 2022 and the grievances stated by EVGA as NVIDIA's top AIB partner of the time.

If this rumor is true, the graphics card market will likely go through a significant transformation. Some larger board partners may actually prefer to source their own memory from a preferred partner -- Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix all make GDDR6 and GDDR7 memory. This could lead to some more diverse card configurations, with varying memory configurations. Smaller partners that may not have ever sourced their own memory in volume, however, may be left out in the cold. Hopefully, in the latter cases, NVIDIA uses some of its clout to ensure all of its AIB partners are able to deliver products. Reduced competition in any market is never good for consumers and we'd hate to see fewer options moving forward.