Nvidia Kepler GK104 Graphics Cores Start Reaching AIBs

Nvidia has apparently started shipping the first GK104 graphics cores based on the Kepler architecture to its add-in board (AIB) partners, suggesting that the launch of its first 28nm video cards is getting near.

According to reports from the Far East, which have been gathered by SemiAccurate, Nvidia’s most important add-in board partners have begun receiving the first GK104 cores at the start of last week.

The GPUs delivered by Nvidia were in various states of functionality, but since they are only meant for early hardware design and testing these are more than adequate for the task.

Furthermore, this seems to suggest that Nvidia is committed to get Kepler out as soon as possible.

If all things go as planned, AIBs need between 4 and 6 weeks to get the first cards on retailer shelves after sampling starts. This means that GK104-based Kepler cards should arrive in late March or early April.

Other details regarding these graphics cards were not provided, but as we have reported earlier today, the GK1-4 core will be available in two versions, dubbed GK104-400 and GK104-335.

Both of these will actually be based on the same GPU, but the former comes as a fully working GK104, while the latter is a partially fused off version of the same chip.

The main difference between the two lies in the number of graphics processing clusters they will include, since the -400 is said to be an “8 group” device compared to the -335, which is described as a “7 group” GPU.

Nvidia’s has designed Kepler to be more flexible in terms of programmability than the current Fermi architecture and this is the company’s first GPU to be based on TSMC's high-K metal gate (HKMG) 28nm fabrication process (the same one used by AMD for the Radeon HD 7900 series cards).

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