The NVIDIA Volta Architecture is set to use the 12nm FinFet technology to battle the AMD Vega Architecture and Intel's "Knights Hill" processor. The Volta 30 series GPUs flagship GTX 3080 will reportedly feature HBMS memory, which is faster than GTX 1080.
The supercomputing community has been plagued with various rumors and speculations in anticipation of the coming NVIDIA Volta GPUs. Recent reports reveal that the new architecture will have a huge difference from Pascal as compared to the difference between Pascal and Maxwell.
The latest report indicates that the NVIDIA Volta architecture will use the 12nm FinFet technology, which is devised by the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Though the report is unsubstantiated, the new technology appears to be a logical direction for NVIDIA if it aims to have an early release.
Previously, NVIDIA was pushing for 10nm process node, but this could still be featured in future versions of theVolta GPUs, which could even have the 7nm technology. Moreover, TSMC promises a 20 percent performance boost versus the current 16nm process in Pascal.
NVIDIA is putting a lot into the Volta Architecture, which will be its flagship GPU to compete with Intel and AMD. The Volta Tesla GPU will go head-to-head with Intel's "Knights Hill" processor coming out in 2018 and the deep-learning "Knights Mill' Xeon Phi processor reportedly due at the end of this year, Top 500 reported.
AMD seems poised to launch first beating Intel and NVIDIA with its Vega GPUs unveiling soon. The new Radeon Instinct line for deep learning may also get an upgraded version of the FirePro GPU.
However, other than Volta's contribution in AI and deep learning, the Volta gaming GPUs are also set to provide the best gaming experience. The next-generation architecture will feature the Volta 30 series since the 20 series will more likely be refresh versions of Pascal GPUs according to SegmentNext.
The flagship GTX 3080 is set to have the HBMS memory, which is faster than the GDDR5X featured in the GTX 1080. There may also be a high-end iteration, the GTX 3080 Ti following the 1080 Ti and a mid-range GTX 3070.
There is no official release date for the NVIDIA Volta GPUs other than a 2018 target. More details may be revealed about the latest architecture in May during the NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference (GTC).
