NVIDIA and Samsung are making new GeForce RTX 3060 GPUs

NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 30 Series, built using a custom 8nm process from Samsung, rather than the custom TSMC process for the GeForce RTX 40 and RTX 50 Series, is set to return to production at the Samsung Electronics Pyeongtaek Semiconductor Factory. According to a new report by the Korean publication Hankyung, Samsung is prepping to recommence production of the 8nm GeForce RTX 3060, some two years after the last batch of RTX 3060 chips were manufactured.

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The report doesn't set a timeline for production, other than that it'll happen "soon." With the initial media and insider reaction focused on NVIDIA re-introducing the GeForce RTX 3060 as a response to the current memory crisis and chip shortages, the report claims that the RTX 3060's return could be primarily for the Chinese market.

Due to restrictions on high-performance graphics cards sold in China, older GPUs like the GeForce RTX 3060 represent a way out for providing a cost-effective AI and PC gaming solution in the Chinese market. Of course, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang did say "it's a good idea to bring back old GPUs" at CES 2026 as a way to address current shortages, so this move could reflect a broader global strategy for 2026 and beyond.

The GeForce RTX 3060, which leverages NVIDIA's Ampere architecture, is still one of the most popular graphics cards on the market. However, as we're talking about a card that is now two generations old, the value proposition of an RTX 3060 for around $300 in 2026 is questionable, given that the current-gen mainstream option, the GeForce RTX 5060, launched at a similar price in 2025. Not only that, but as our reviews for the GeForce RTX 5060 show, it's around 45-50% faster for 1080p and 1440p gaming than the GeForce RTX 3060.

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, and if 8nm production at Samsung opens the door to more GeForce RTX 30 Series cards returning to market. The return of the GeForce RTX 3080 would be an interesting move, as the GPU is still very capable for 1440p gaming; however, its 10GB of VRAM could be a performance bottleneck. In a perfect world, if NVIDIA is bringing back the RTX 30 Series due to chip shortages at TSMC, we'd love to see a SUPER-style refresh with more memory, but that's probably unlikely.