NVIDIA's next-gen Rubin AI architecture will reportedly feature the company's first SoIC packaging, followed by Apple and TSMC has apparently started preparing for it.
TSMC's SoIC Will Likely Replace CoWoS In Terms of Market Hype; Taiwan Giant Estimates Massive Demand
With the debut of Team Green's Rubin architecture, we'll likely witness the next revolution in the hardware segment of the market, given that with the lineup, NVIDIA plans to not only revamp the architectural design but integrate industry-leading components such as HBM4. In a report by Ctee, it is claimed that TSMC has started to rapidly build facilities in Taiwan to shift its focus from advanced packaging (CoWoS) to SoIC ((System-on-Integrated Chip), given that NVIDIA, AMD, and Apple are all expected to unveil their next solutions based on the design layout.
Well, for those unaware of SoIC, it is an advanced chip stacking technique that allows multiple chiplets to be integrated into a single, highly functional package. This means multiple chips, such as CPU, memory, and I/O, can be mounted onto a single die, allowing greater flexibility in chip design and optimization for specific applications. We have already seen SoIC in action with AMD's 3D V-Cache CPUs, where additional cache memory is vertically on top of the processor die, and it seems like NVIDIA and Apple are planning to follow.
Starting with Team Green's Rubin lineup, we know the architecture will employ a SoIC design courtesy of the functional HBM4. The Vera Rubin NVL144 platform is said to feature Rubin GPU with two Reticle-sized chips, with up to 50 PFLOPs of FP4 performance and 288 GB of next-gen HBM4 memory. The superior NVL576 will feature a Rubin Ultra GPU with four reticle-sized chips, offering up to 100 PFLOPS of FP4 and a total HBM4e capacity of 1 TB scattered across 16 HBM sites.
TSMC knows the importance of SoIC moving forward, and interestingly, one of its biggest clients, Apple, also plans to adopt the standard. The Cupertino giant's next-gen M5 chip is said to utilize SoIC packaging and be integrated with Apple's "in-house" AI servers, which is simply astonishing to hear. Details around the M5 chip are slim for now, but we do know that the chip will be utilized in future iPads and MacBooks.
The Taiwan giant is expected to reach production figures of up to 20,000 for SoIC packaging by the end of 2025. However, the key focus will still remain on CoWoS until at least NVIDIA's Rubin arrives in the market, which is expected to be around late 2025 to early 2026.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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