Nvidia reportedly considering lower memory configurations for Rubin Ultra GPU to ease HBM supply constraints.

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Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) is reportedly testing multiple versions of its next-generation Rubin Ultra graphics processing unit (GPU), including designs with less high-bandwidth memory (HBM) than originally planned, as it evaluates ways to navigate potential supply constraints. The move reflects broader pressure on the semiconductor industry as soaring AI demand has strained the availability of advanced memory chips.

Over the past few weeks, Nvidia has been testing at least three versions of the Rubin Ultra GPU, some of which feature less memory than the company initially announced, reported The Information, citing people with knowledge of the trial. The company is considering the lower-memory designs in part because it may not be able to secure enough advanced memory chips to support its original configuration.

While lower memory could affect performance, AI companies running large models on the reduced-memory versions may need to deploy more GPUs than they otherwise would, according to the report.

CEO Jensen Huang unveiled the Rubin Ultra at Nvidia's annual developer conference in 2025, saying each GPU would include 1TB of HBM4E memory spread across 16 memory stacks.

Nvidia's reported move shows how the AI boom has stretched the chip industry's ability to meet surging data center demand. The resulting shortage of high-bandwidth memory chips has pushed up prices, increasing costs across the technology industry and forcing companies to spend more on hardware, according to The Information.

The situation is notable because demand for Nvidia's AI GPUs has itself contributed to the memory shortage, and the company is now exploring alternative memory configurations. The Rubin Ultra samples currently under evaluation would represent a reduction in memory compared with Nvidia's Rubin chip, which is already in mass production and being rolled out to customers.

The development has sparked debate among Stocktwits retail traders over whether memory supplier Micron Technology (MU) could emerge as a key beneficiary if HBM shortages persist. Retail traders largely viewed the report as evidence that AI infrastructure demand is running up against real-world supply constraints. One trader noted that Nvidia's testing of lower-memory Rubin Ultra GPUs suggests "supply constraints are real" even for the AI chip leader, adding that less memory per chip could require more GPUs to run large AI models. Another trader said the reported memory reduction shows that "supply crunch is real," while suggesting that "MU is the real beneficiary here," as AI infrastructure buildouts run into physical supply constraints.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for NVDA was bullish, unchanged in the past 24 hours, while message volume remained high. NVDA stock has gained nearly 17% year-to-date.