NVIDIA's new Blackwell AI GPUs drives TSMC to increase CoWoS output by over 150% in 2024

NVIDIA's new wave of Blackwell AI GPUs will boost demand for TSMC's advanced CoWoS packaging capacity by over 150% in 2024.

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In a new report from TrendForce, the next-gen Blackwell AI GPU platform that includes the B200 and B100 AI GPUs -- as well as the GB200, which also features NVIDIA's in-house Arm-based Grace CPU -- all use CoWoS packaging from TSMC, and projections suggest millions of shipments of high-end B200 AI GPUs are expected in 2025 making up close to 50% of NVIDIA's high-end GPU market.

NVIDIA will launch its new GB200 and B200 in the second half of 2024, with upstream wafer packaging needing to adopt a much more complex, and high-precision CoWoS-L technology, which will make validation and testing take more time. On top of that, more time is needed to optimize the B-series for AI server systems in things like network communication and cooling performance.

TrendForce says that it's anticipated that NVIDIA GB200 and B100 products "will not see significant production volumes" until Q4 2024, or Q1 2025. NVIDIA's upcoming Blackwell-based GB200, B100, and B200 chips will boost demand for CoWoS capacity, which will see TSMC increase its total CoWoS capacity for 2024.

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The monthly capacity of CoWoS from TSMC is expected to reach 40,000 by the end of the year, a huge 150% year-over-year increase. In 2025, it's expected that the total CoWoS capacity could nearly double, where NVIDIA's demand for AI chips expected to make up more than half of TSMC's total CoWoS capacity.