Nvidia is only just starting to put out cards that run on its new Maxwell architiecture, but its eyes are already on the future. Today at its annual GPU Technology Conference, Nvidia announced its next, far-future architecture: Pascal.
Not due to hit until 2016, Pascal is faaaaar from making its way into anything you hope to own, but when it does, it will be a screamer. Pascal will be faster, smaller, and more efficient than anything out there now. But with two years before release, duh; it had better be.
As for how it will do that, Nvidia is pointing to a few key technologies. There’s NVLink — which will function as a much faster data highway between CPUs, GPUs, and other GPUs — and 3D memory techniques, which allow Nvida to stack some of its chips to make GPUs that are not only super compact but also faster and more efficient than anything out there right now.
If you’re hankering for something that is out there right now, or something that will be soon, Nvidia has a new toy in the form of the GTX Titan Z. Like the OG Titan , this sucker is big, badass, and ludicrously expensive. Basically two Kepler-based GK110 chips wired together, the GTX Titan Z boasts 5,760 processing cores or more than twice as many as the original Titan. That is to say: more than you, dear reader, probably need unless you need to do some 5K gaming like right now. And it’s all just as well because the Titan Z costs a cool $US3,000.
Naturally this all sounds great, but 2016 is a long way away so don’t hold your breath. Still, it’s nice to have some reassurance that yes, graphics are still going to keep getting awesomer. [Nvidia]