Investing.com -- The NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) GB200 rack-mounted solution requires further optimization and adjustment in its supply chain, according to recent research by TrendForce. The complex design specifications of the GB200 rack, including high-speed interconnect interfaces and thermal design power (TDP) requirements that exceed market norms, are the primary reasons for this need. As a result, TrendForce predicts that mass production and peak shipments will likely take place between Q2 and Q3 of 2025.
The NVIDIA GB rack series, which includes the GB200 and GB300 models, is characterized by complex technology and higher production costs. This makes it a preferred solution for large Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and other potential users such as Tier-2 data centers, national sovereign cloud providers, and academic research institutions working on High-Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications. The GB200 NVL72 model is expected to be the most popular in 2025, possibly accounting for up to 80% of total deployments as NVIDIA increases its market efforts.
NVIDIA's proprietary NVLink technology is integral to the company's strategy to enhance the computational performance of AI and HPC server systems. This technology allows for high-speed connections between GPU chips. The GB200 uses the fifth-generation NVLink, providing a total bandwidth that significantly surpasses the current industry standard, PCIe 5.0.
The TDP of the HGX AI server, which dominated in 2024, typically ranges from 60 kW to 80 kW per rack. However, the GB200 NVL72's TDP reaches 140 kW per rack, doubling power requirements. This has led manufacturers to speed up the adoption of liquid cooling solutions, as traditional air cooling methods cannot handle such high thermal loads.
The advanced design requirements for the GB200 have raised concerns about possible delays in component availability and system shipments. TrendForce states that the production of Blackwell GPU chips is progressing mostly as planned, with only limited shipments expected in 4Q24. Production volume is expected to increase gradually from 1Q25 onwards. However, due to ongoing supply chain adjustments for the AI server system components, shipments at the end of 2024 are expected to be lower than industry expectations. As a result, TrendForce predicts that the peak shipment period for the GB200 full-rack system will be delayed to between Q2 and Q3 of 2025.
The GB200 NVL72's TDP of 140 kW has made liquid cooling essential, as it surpasses the capabilities of traditional air-cooled solutions. The adoption of liquid-cooling components is gaining momentum, with leading industry players investing heavily in research and development for liquid cooling technologies.
Notably, suppliers of coolant distribution units are striving to improve cooling efficiency by increasing rack sizes and developing more efficient cold plate designs. Current sidecar CDUs can dissipate between 60 kW and 80 kW, but future designs are expected to double or even triple this cooling capacity. The development of liquid-to-liquid in-row CDU systems has allowed cooling performance to exceed 1.3 mW, with further improvements expected as computational power demands continue to grow.
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