[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] Nvidia's next-generation RTX 5000 Super series has progressed to the stage of preparing for launch, but its schedule has been put on hold due to the burden of memory prices, observers said. The industry says the product itself has not been cancelled, but the cost of expensive next-generation memory is affecting the launch timing and pricing policy.

Tech outlet TechRadar reported on July 17 that one of Nvidia's graphics card manufacturing partners has already received an RTX 5000 Super-related graphics card, but was notified by Nvidia that the lineup is currently "on hold".

Memory prices are being cited as the backdrop to the hold. The RTX 5000 Super series has repeatedly been raised as likely to use 3GB GDDR7 memory modules instead of the 2GB GDDR7 modules used in the existing RTX 5000 series. The problem is that the 3GB modules are currently priced at about three times the level of the 2GB products.

Rising memory prices could significantly lift product costs. The market expects the RTX 5080 Super and RTX 5070 Ti Super to come with 24GB of memory, and the RTX 5070 Super to carry 18GB. The RTX 5070 Super is expected to see a sharp increase from 12GB to 18GB, stoking expectations of improved performance, but also raising the possibility of a higher selling price.

Cost estimates also support those concerns. Industry observers say memory costs alone could reach about $360 if the RTX 5070 Super uses 18GB of memory. Given that the 12GB memory cost of the current RTX 5070 is said to be about $120, that would mean an additional roughly $240 in memory costs alone.

The report is also drawing attention because it suggests the RTX 5000 Super series may have moved beyond a simple rumour and entered actual development and production preparation. With claims that related hardware has been delivered to some board manufacturing partners, the view is that the project itself has not been cancelled but that the company may be readjusting component prices and its launch strategy.

All information known so far is based on industry-source remarks and leaked information, and Nvidia has not issued an official position on the RTX 5000 Super series.

The launch timing is also uncertain. Some have said the RTX 5000 Super series could be unveiled within this year, but the hold report has also raised the possibility of delays. The RTX 5060 Super 12GB model that was mentioned alongside it was not included in the latest leak.

The industry sees the biggest variable as how much of the sharply higher cost of 3GB GDDR7 memory Nvidia can absorb. Expanding memory capacity can improve performance competitiveness, but if rising costs are reflected directly in consumer prices, market reaction could differ from expectations, analysts say.