AMD has introduced another RDNA 4 GPU die to its ROCm software suite. Discovered by @Kepler_L2 on X (formerly Twitter), the new Navi 44 die could potentially be an entry-level GPU in AMD's upcoming RX 8000-series lineup. However, AMD has not disclosed much about its next-generation chips. Regardless, these GPUs are expected to compete for the top spot among the best graphics cards for gamers.
ROCm List and Naming Conventions
This addition marks the second RDNA 4 GPU to appear in the ROCm list for hardware enablement, following the Navi 48 die with the Gfx1201 moniker. Navi 44 carries the Gfx1200 moniker, indicating a notable deviation from AMD's usual naming conventions.
Indications of Near Completion
The presence of these GPUs in the ROCm support list suggests that AMD is close to completing some of the upcoming RDNA 4 GPUs. Interestingly, AMD's GPU die naming scheme appears to be shifting. For several GPU generations, AMD has released new GPUs sequentially without skipping numbers in their codenames. For example, RDNA 3 includes Navi 31, 32, and 33, while RDNA 2 features Navi 21, 22, 23, and 24.
Historical Naming Patterns
To find a similar break in the naming pattern, one has to look back to 2019's original RDNA with Navi 10 and Navi 14. Even then, AMD made changes from its established GPU history. For instance, Vega 10 and Vega 20 preceded the current RDNA families, with Polaris 10, 11, 12, 20, and 21 GPUs covering the budget to the midrange sector.
New Naming Philosophy
AMD seems to be skipping the usual "beginning" numbers, moving straight to Navi 48 and Navi 44. This new naming approach complicates the task of making educated guesses about GPU specs. There are speculations that AMD might focus on mainstream graphics cards for RDNA 4, possibly not offering a direct successor to the RX 7900 XTX and its Navi 31 GPU, at least initially.
Entry-Level or Mainstream Focus?
Numerically, Navi 44 might seem to be the successor to Navi 24, an entry-level die in the RX 6000-series, initially intended for laptops. It was later adapted for desktop GPUs like the RX 6500 XT, RX 6400, RX 6300, and Pro W6300 but lacked many features found in other RDNA 2 GPUs. Therefore, it's unlikely that AMD will follow the same path as Navi 44. It is more plausible that Navi 44 will be a sequel to the mainstream Navi 33, which powers the RX 7600 and RX 7600 XT. This raises questions about Navi 48's role.
Shift in GPU Lineup Strategy
AMD's changing codenames indicate that the RX 8000-series graphics cards might deviate from the pattern observed in the previous two RDNA families (RX 6000 and RX 7000 series). Similar to the RX 5000-series lineup, AMD is expected to focus on entry-level and midrange GPUs for the RX 8000 series.
Market Considerations
This strategy could be logical since AMD's GPUs have not been dominating the market lately, as reflected in the Steam Hardware Survey. AMD's gaming sales have also seen a significant revenue drop, losing 48% year over year, equating to nearly a billion dollars compared to Q1 2023. Most of AMD's GPU sales currently come from integrated solutions and the PS5 and Xbox consoles. It's even possible that Navi 44 and/or 48 could be codenames for an integrated GPU, though this is unlikely.
With such financial losses in its gaming division, AMD might prioritize not developing ultra-high-end GPUs. However, this could be a strategic error, leaving Nvidia unchallenged in the high-end market. There are rumors that Intel's Battlemage will also target mainstream gamers, potentially taking market share from AMD rather than Nvidia.
AI GPU Sales Focus
Like other GPU companies, AMD is likely more focused on increasing AI GPU sales, which are highly lucrative. AMD's MI200 and MI300 CDNA families power major supercomputers like Frontier and the upcoming El Capitan. Whether AI GPU sales will be sufficient to continue funding development remains uncertain. The ROCm patch notes also indicate a new MI300 variant, MI300X1 ("gfx942"), although its differences from the existing MI300X are unclear.
AMD did not discuss its next-generation RDNA 4 GPU architecture at Computex 2024, but it's known to be on the horizon. Navi 48 XTX graphics cards were recently spotted in a new shipping manifest.
Competition and Future Prospects
NVIDIA will release its powerful next-gen Blackwell-based GeForce RTX 5090 and GeForce RTX 5080 graphics cards later this year, the new flagship gaming GPUs. AMD is aiming at the mainstream market with its current generation. Hopefully, RDNA 5 will mark AMD's return to the high-end GPU segment. For now, Navi 44 and Navi 48 are the upcoming additions.
In a recent shipping manifest, AMD's next-gen RDNA 4-based Navi 48 XTX GPU was identified, along with new board numbers:
102-G28211
102-G28501 (Navi 48 XTX)
102-G28201
102-C48701
The full listing is GRAPHICS CARD: NAVI48 G28201 DT XTX REVB-PRE-CORRELATION AO PLATSI TT(SAMSUNG)-Q2 2024-3A—102-G28201. This signifies the Navi 48 XTX GPU spotted in the shipping manifest.