[DigitalToday reporter Hyeon-woo Chu (추현우)] Wireless computing company WiCi is preparing the WiFi 7-connected wireless external GPU, 'WiCi One'. TechRadar reported on Oct. 1 that the product places a GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and 16GB GDDR7 memory in a separate box and connects wirelessly to a host device.

WiCi One differs from typical eGPU external devices. The main unit contains not only the GPU but also the processor, storage, power section, cooling system and networking components. The RTX 5060 Ti model has an Intel Core 3 100U and 1TB NVMe 4 storage. WiCi presented it as a local processing alternative rather than a cloud-based streaming service.

The wireless connection is based on WiFi 7. It supports 4x4 MIMO and a 320 MHz channel configuration so a separate computer and the host device communicate. The software is designed to use GPU resources through drivers, a software development kit and application programming interfaces. Data remains inside the network unless the user transmits it separately.

The key is bandwidth. WiFi 7 theoretically reaches up to 46.1 Gbps based on 16 spatial streams, but this product uses only 4 streams. With a 4x4 configuration applying 320 MHz bandwidth and 4096-QAM, the physical layer speed is about 11.52 Gbps. That is lower than Thunderbolt 5 or OCuLink-based PCIe 4.0 x4, which provides 64 Gbps for PCIe traffic.

WiCi said its protocol reduces network traffic through caching, deduplication, compression, streaming and pipelining. The aim is to cut data moving between the host and GPU during high-load work.

WiCi claimed the RTX 5060 Ti model can run 'Cyberpunk 2077' at 80 FPS in a 4K Ultra environment with DLSS 4 applied, and 'Black Myth: Wukong' at 60 FPS at 4K cinematic settings. The test was conducted at a distance of about 50 cm from the connected laptop.

The initial registration price is $1,999. It is more expensive than typical external GPU devices, but includes components needed for standalone operation, such as the processor and storage. WiCi also plans to release a higher-end model with an RTX 5090, 32GB GDDR7, an Intel Core Ultra 7 255H and 4TB NVMe 5 storage. The product is designed so multiple nearby host devices can access GPU resources on a local network.