Nvidia to launch NV35 in mid-May

Nvidia is set to formally introduce its new NV35 graphics chip at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), to be held in Los Angeles from May 14-16. Due to SARS concerns in the Asia-Pacific region, Nvidia will not hold a product launch conference in Taiwan.

The chip adopts the same core as Nvidia's NV30 (GeForce FX 5800 series) but delivers much improved performance, sources said. According to graphics card makers, the NV35 will support the more popular DDR memory standard, rather than the DDRII architecture supported by the NV30. Using a 0.13-micron process, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the sole manufacturer of the NV35 chip, sources said.

Quickly ramping up NV35 shipments would go far towards fortifying Nvidia's product line and alleviate the shortage in the high-end graphics chip market. For the past few months, limited supply of Nvidia's NV30 and NV31 (GeForce FX 5600 series) chips has boosted demand for high-end products from rival ATI Technologies. However, ATI has not been able to fully meet the increased demand

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