Overview
- SemiAnalysis published a report on Monday saying Nvidia’s Kyber NVL144 rack has slipped to 2028 because a 78-layer printed circuit board midplane is proving difficult to manufacture.
- Nvidia issued a fast, categorical denial on July 6 saying its chip and product roadmap remains on schedule and that current Rubin systems are in full production and slated to ship to cloud partners this fall.
- Trade analysis cited in the report describes the midplane as three 26-layer sections laminated into a single board that must preserve tight trace spacing and impedance for all-copper NVLink signals, a technical challenge that can hurt signal integrity and power delivery.
- SemiAnalysis also said a proposed stopgap design called NVL72x2 was canceled after hyperscalers rejected its operational trade-offs and that the larger NVL576 configuration may be delayed or ship in limited volume, creating a potential opening for rivals.
- Markets reacted modestly after Nvidia’s denial, and the near-term picture still rests on Rubin shipments this fall; the key things to watch next are whether Nvidia can resolve the midplane manufacturability problem and whether co‑packaged optics or other designs mature as alternatives.