The Register: Nvidia GPU roadmap confirms it: Moore’s Law is dead and buried

Source URL: https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/29/nvidia_moores_law/
Source: The Register
Title: Nvidia GPU roadmap confirms it: Moore’s Law is dead and buried

Feedly Summary: More silicon, more power, more pain for datacenter operators
Comment As Jensen Huang is fond of saying, Moore’s Law is dead – and at Nvidia GTC this month, the GPU-slinger’s chief exec let slip just how deep in the ground the computational scaling law really is.…

AI Summary and Description: Yes

Summary: The text discusses the challenges Nvidia faces regarding the future of its GPU technology and infrastructure, emphasizing scaling issues and power requirements for ultra-dense compute systems. It highlights the implications for data centers and the ongoing need for innovations in thermal management and power delivery to support AI computing demands.

Detailed Description:
The article primarily focuses on Nvidia’s advancements and the challenges associated with the future of accelerated computing platforms. Here are the major points elaborated upon:

– **Moore’s Law and Limitations**: Jensen Huang of Nvidia acknowledged the stagnation of Moore’s Law, indicating that advancements in chip manufacturing and performance have stalled, creating a necessity for Nvidia to scale compute in significant ways.

– **Hardware Developments**:
– Introduction of next-gen Blackwell Ultra processors capable of housing 576 GPUs in a single rack.
– Future plans include a 600kW compute system and the unveiling of chips named after Richard Feynman.

– **Scalability Challenges**:
– Nvidia plans to increase GPU density per rack significantly.
– There exists an emphasis on improving both compute and memory capabilities within the constrained limits of existing technology.
– Current GPUs are transitioning towards using higher capacities, with a move to the Rubin Ultra expected to offer an increase in memory bandwidth and performance, although with a notable increase in power consumption.

– **Power and Thermal Management**:
– The article addresses the cooling and power requirements associated with high-density racks.
– Nvidia recognizes the importance of developing dedicated datacenters (“AI factories”) capable of handling the thermal demands of future AI workloads.
– Schneider Electric’s planned expansion to produce necessary cooling equipment was highlighted as part of the solution.

– **Industry Implications**:
– The trends and challenges discussed are not unique to Nvidia; other companies like AMD, Intel, and cloud providers are likely to face similar obstacles as they attempt to scale their own infrastructure for AI.
– Nvidia’s strategies may influence the direction of future data center designs and power management solutions.
– The collaboration with partners to enhance data center capabilities shows the interconnected nature of the tech industry and the importance of forward-thinking in infrastructure planning.

This analysis underscores the real-world implications for infrastructure security, as the scalability, thermal management, and power delivery for high-performance computing continue to shape the landscape of data centers amid growing demands for AI capabilities. Maintaining security and performance will be critical as organizations upgrade their infrastructure to meet these challenges.