It has been a year since the launch of the RDNA 4-based Radeon RX 9000 series. With this generation, AMD chose to focus on the mainstream GPU market, avoiding direct confrontation with NVIDIA in the high-end segment. The flagship Radeon RX 9070 XT mainly targeted the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, positioning itself as one of the most balanced cards in terms of performance and efficiency.
While this strategy helped AMD hold ground in the mid-range, fresh reports indicate that the company’s next-generation GPUs will introduce a major shift — full chiplet-based architecture.
Why Chiplet GPUs Matter #
AMD Senior Fellow and SoC Chief Architect Laks Pappu recently hinted that upcoming Navi 4x and Navi 5x architectures will adopt 2.5D/3.5D chiplet and monolithic designs. Pappu, who joined AMD in 2022, previously worked at Intel on GPUs like DG1, Alchemist, and Battlemage, and is a long-time proponent of multi-chip graphics solutions.
While chiplets are already common in data center GPUs — with AMD’s Instinct MI300 and NVIDIA’s Blackwell using advanced packaging — bringing the technology to consumer gaming GPUs presents unique challenges:
- Ultra-low latency for real-time rendering
- High-bandwidth interconnects for thousands of parallel threads
- Power efficiency despite added chip-to-chip communication
- Driver and software transparency so the GPU behaves like a single device
Despite these hurdles, chiplet designs bring significant benefits:
- Higher wafer yields and reduced risk from large monolithic dies
- Lower production costs
- Easier product segmentation and scalability
AMD already proved its chiplet expertise in Ryzen CPUs and EPYC server processors, and partially experimented with it in the Radeon RX 7900 series (Navi 31), which combined a monolithic compute die with multiple cache dies. This served as a stepping stone toward true chiplet gaming GPUs.
RDNA 5: A Turning Point #
Industry watchers believe Pappu is leading the development of RDNA 5 (Navi 5x). Based on typical GPU design cycles, the architecture is likely in the tape-out or early validation stage, with a release window projected for late 2026 to early 2027.
If successful, RDNA 5 could be the first true chiplet-based gaming GPU, offering breakthroughs such as:
- Breaking past monolithic die performance ceilings
- Lowering manufacturing costs with better yields
- Leveraging 2.5D/3.5D advanced packaging to minimize latency overhead
Market Impact and NVIDIA Competition #
AMD’s decision to focus the RX 9000 lineup on the midrange left NVIDIA with stronger control of the high-end market (RTX 5080 and RTX 5090). To regain share, AMD will need to deliver a disruptive, differentiated architecture.
If RDNA 5 successfully introduces chiplet GPUs to consumers:
- AMD could reshape GPU economics for the entire industry
- Gamers may benefit from higher performance per dollar
- NVIDIA could face renewed competition in both cost and efficiency
Conclusion: A Defining Moment for AMD #
The upcoming RDNA 5 architecture is more than a typical generational upgrade — it could be a milestone in the evolution of consumer GPUs. With chiplet technology, AMD has a chance to deliver greater scalability, cost efficiency, and product diversity than ever before.
As engineering samples surface in the coming months, more details on Navi 5x will emerge. If AMD delivers, 2026–2027 could mark the start of a new GPU era, one where chiplets redefine desktop graphics just as they transformed CPUs.
AMD’s Next-Generation Desktop GPU to Feature Chiplet Technology