Recently, NVIDIA launched DLSS 5 technology, which players can experience using GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards and the latest drivers. At the core of DLSS 5 is 3D-Guided Neural Rendering. NBA 2K27 is the first game to support it. Unlike image generation models based on prompts or reference images, DLSS 5 takes frames rendered by the game engine (including geometry, textures, and lighting buffers) as input and injects AI-enhanced image details at the final stage of the rendering pipeline, while ensuring stability in game visuals. Developers can also control the scope and intensity of AI generation.
According to TrendForce, due to the strong sales of AI accelerators, NVIDIA has long become a major buyer of memory chips. The large-scale sales of rack-level products have gradually expanded NVIDIA's influence in the memory sector beyond HBM. The recent DLSS 5 technology not only raises the performance standards for PC gaming but also drives growth in demand for graphics DRAM, potentially putting greater pressure on the already tight DRAM market.
Since last October, the prices of GDDR6 and GDDR7 modules used in gaming graphics cards have been continuously rising, reaching several times their original cost. Currently, GDDR6 and GDDR7 account for a significant portion of graphics card costs. Over the past few months, NVIDIA has raised its supply prices for graphics cards three times to pass on these costs, directly reflecting the price trends in the DRAM market.
With the arrival of DLSS 5 technology, the AI workload on graphics cards has increased, requiring additional VRAM capacity. This is expected to boost sales of graphics cards with 16GB or more VRAM. Both Samsung and SK Hynix plan to upgrade their graphics DRAM specifications to better support DLSS 5 in the future. Higher performance also means increased costs.