Serial production of Nvidia Blackwell AI accelerators delayed due to design error

Nvidia has postponed to a later date the start of mass production of new AI accelerators based on the Blackwell architecture. Production of new chips will be delayed by at least three months or more due to design flaws. The Information writes about this with reference to its own knowledgeable sources.

Image source: NVIDIA

The production delay could impact Nvidia’s largest customers such as Meta✴ Platforms, Google and Microsoft. The report says that Nvidia has already notified Microsoft this week that it will delay the production of new AI accelerators. This information was confirmed by a knowledgeable Microsoft employee on condition of anonymity. The problem appears to be a design flaw in the chip that needs to be fixed, tested, and put back into production.

Production delays mean that large shipments of AI accelerators based on Blackwell architecture will not begin until the first quarter of 2025. An Nvidia spokesperson would not comment on the issue of informing customers about the delay in shipments, but said the company intends to ramp up production later this year. Official representatives of Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta✴ declined to comment.

Earlier this week it was reported that Nvidia is preparing to begin shipping AI accelerators on Blackwell chips. According to available data, Nvidia has already begun shipping samples of the new accelerators, and the start of mass deliveries was planned for the fourth quarter of this year.