High-end RDNA 4 GPUs allegedly canned to focus on RDNA 5 development as latter shows "exciting early performance projections"

We reported last week that AMD appears to have canceled the high-end RDNA 4 configurations. In other words, we might not get any flagship AMD Radeon GPUs next generation. Newly leaked information from Moore’s Law Is Dead has detailed the situation further.

First up, an AIB source claimed to MLID that RDNA 4 wouldn’t be “shooting for a full generational performance uplift at the top of the stack”. The source also mentioned that RDNA GPUs might not take too long to release and could come out in a “reasonable amount of time”.

Interestingly, one AMD source seemed surprised that the information regarding the cancelation of the top-end RDNA 4 chips has already leaked out as the decision was apparently made “VERY recently”. AMD decided to cull the development of the high-end RDNA 4 products reportedly to speed up RDNA 5 development and to ensure that the remaining RDNA 4 lineup doesn't suffer delays. The source implied that Team Red wants to avoid another “RDNA 3 situation”.

Moving on, a different source illustrated that N41, the purported flagship RDNA 4 GPU, has suffered a ton of “random issues”. While the source didn't state these random issues as the sole reason behind the chip’s cancelation, it is reasonable to assume so. 

In contrast, the same source mentioned that the RDNA 5 development is “progressing smoothly” with “exciting early performance projections”.

Finally, we might see the RDNA 4 products release in the second half of next year, as one of MLID’s sources suggested Q3 2024 launch target. The source also alleged that the RDNA 4 GPUs could feature much-improved ray tracing and power efficiency with a “Big focus on Ray tracing, Geometry, and Efficiency”.

Long story short, it appears that the top-of-the-line RDNA 4 SKUs might have been canned to better focus on RDNA 5 development. But, as it is with most early leaks, we have no way of confirming this information. Therefore, take MLID’s report with caution, as only time will tell how much of it ends up being true.

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