Nvidia Corporation Pauses RTX 50 Super Launch Over Memory Costs

The launch of the RTX 5000 Super graphics card series has been placed on hold by Nvidia Corporation due to excessive costs for 3GB GDDR7 memory chips. Although the company has already distributed hardware to at least one add-in board partner, the release schedule is paused because the 3GB modules reportedly cost between $60 and $70 each, compared to roughly $20 for standard 2GB chips.

The affected lineup includes the RTX 5080 Super, RTX 5070 Ti Super, and RTX 5070 Super. These models were designed to increase VRAM by 50% over non-Super versions—potentially reaching 24GB for high-end cards—without altering the memory bus. However, the pricing discrepancy threatens to push retail prices beyond targeted MSRPs or erode profit margins for partners.

Additionally, a planned RTX 5050 9GB model was likely canceled due to these same pricing issues. To stabilize its budget market offering, Nvidia Corporation has reportedly re-launched the older RTX 3060 12GB card. This delay occurs amid a broader industry memory shortage that SK hynix Inc. predicts will persist until 2030.