Nvidia Shifts Focus to New Advanced Packaging Technology
Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang confirmed that while the company’s demand for advanced packaging from TSMC remains robust, the specific type of technology required is evolving. At an event in Taichung, Taiwan, Huang explained that Nvidia is transitioning its focus from CoWoS-S to CoWoS-L for its upcoming Blackwell AI chips. This shift, however, does not signal a reduction in capacity, but rather an increase in the use of CoWoS-L, a newer, more advanced version of TSMC’s chip packaging technology.
Nvidia had previously relied heavily on CoWoS-S for its AI chips, including the Hopper platform. As the company moves into Blackwell, which was unveiled in March 2024, it plans to transition existing CoWoS-S capacity to CoWoS-L. This change will impact TSMC’s supply chain but is seen as a step forward in Nvidia’s push to meet the growing demand for its AI chips.
Huang also noted that while packaging capacity for these advanced chips had previously been a bottleneck, it had expanded significantly in recent years, with available capacity now approximately four times greater than it was two years ago. Despite the increased demand, Nvidia has not been cutting orders but is instead increasing its reliance on CoWoS-L, which is expected to better meet the needs of Blackwell’s design.
The move to CoWoS-L technology and changes in Nvidia’s order patterns have sparked speculation about the potential impact on TSMC’s revenue, particularly with analysts like Ming-Chi Kuo noting the shift in Nvidia’s focus. Huang declined to comment on recent U.S. export restrictions that limit AI chip sales to countries outside a select group of U.S. allies, but the company’s strategies continue to evolve in response to market demands and geopolitical factors.