Nvidia is reportedly delaying the launch of its RTX 50 Super series, a decision that is also anticipated to affect the release timeline of the next-generation RTX 60 series GPUs, codenamed "Rubin."
These postponements are attributed to increased demand for AI accelerators, global memory shortages, and a strategic prioritization of AI chip production over consumer gaming GPUs.
GPU Series Delays: The AI Priority
Nvidia has reportedly postponed the launch of its RTX 50 Super series, known internally as 'Kicker'. Sources familiar with the matter indicate this decision stems from Nvidia's strategy to prioritize its higher-margin AI accelerators. This shift is linked to a rise in demand for DRAM from AI datacenters, which has contributed to increased memory prices and global memory shortages.
Nvidia managers reportedly cited the necessity to prioritize memory production for the company's AI chip business as a contributing factor. High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM) silicon, utilized in Nvidia's AI GPUs like the H100 and H200, shares manufacturing lines with other memory types. This situation reportedly leads memory manufacturers and Nvidia to focus production on server and datacenter products due to higher margins, potentially impacting the availability of components for consumer gaming GeForce cards.
RTX 50 Super Series: 'Kicker' On Hold
The RTX 50 Super series, codenamed 'Kicker', was initially expected to appear during CES 2026, with a release projected for the second quarter of 2026. This series was designed to incorporate 3GB GDDR7 memory chips to enhance memory capacity.
In December, Nvidia managers reportedly delayed the 'Kicker' series without providing a new timeline.
Crucially, the delay of the RTX 50 Super series is expected to also push back the release of the RTX 60 series.
RTX 60 Series (Rubin): Next-Gen Gaming Vision
Nvidia's forthcoming GeForce RTX 60 series GPUs are based on the Rubin architecture, which is also utilized in recent AI GPU products. These GPUs are anticipated to feature GR20x series chips, with manufacturing reportedly employing TSMC's 3nm technology.
Anticipated Performance and Core Technologies
Key anticipated architectural and performance details for the Rubin series include:
- Performance Improvements: Ray tracing and path tracing performance are projected to double compared to the RTX 50 Series. Traditional rasterization performance is expected to see a more modest improvement, estimated at around 30-35% over the RTX 50 Series.
- Core Technologies: The GPUs are expected to incorporate sixth-generation Tensor Cores and fifth-generation RT Cores.
DLSS 5 Exclusivity
- DLSS 5: New functionality associated with DLSS 5 is projected to be exclusive to the RTX 60 ‘Rubin’ GPUs. Initial demonstrations of DLSS 5, which showcase ultra-realistic visuals, reportedly used a configuration involving two NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090s, with one dedicated to game rendering and the other handling the DLSS 5 neural model.
Reported Specifications for Specific Models
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 6090: Expected to use the GR202 graphics chip, featuring 24,576 CUDA cores (approximately 13% more than the RTX 5090), 32GB GDDR7 memory, and a 512-bit interface.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 6080: Anticipated to utilize the GR203 chip, with 20GB GDDR7 memory and a 320-bit interface.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 6070: Projected to use the GR205 graphics chip, paired with 16GB GDDR7 RAM and a 256-bit memory bus.
The GR100 chip, designed for AI tasks and data centers, is noted to integrate two GR102 chips, though reports suggest the gaming series may not utilize the GR102 chip itself.
Potential Release Timelines: Shifting Horizon
The RTX 60 series was previously expected to begin mass production in late 2027, with a potential announcement or launch in January 2028 at CES. More recent reports anticipate the release of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 60 series cards in the second half of 2027.
However, potential delays stemming from DRAM memory bottlenecks and increased demand from the AI sector could extend the release window into the first half of 2028.
Broader Market Context
The reported delays suggest that new gaming hardware from Nvidia may not be available as early as initially expected. Separately, Nvidia is reportedly planning to reintroduce the RTX 3060 model, a move observed amid broader industry-wide memory component shortages.