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Intel Sapphire Rapids CPU delays are 'disruptive' but not blocking Hopper deployments; NVIDIA Hopper supports prior-gen and next-gen CPUs (Sapphire Rapids, Genoa, Graviton)
Jensen Huang· NVIDIA· AI· 2022-08-25· about Intel, NVIDIA, AWS Graviton (NVDA)
“Our Hopper supports previous-generation CPUs. But I guess, next-generation GPUs -- CPUs, Sapphire Rapids and Genoa after that, as well as Graviton. And so we certify and test across all of the CPUs because the cloud service providers demand it... The delay is disruptive and a lot of engineers have to scramble... However, Hopper goes into an environment with CSPs where they connect our PCI Express connectors to old-generation, current-generation CPUs as well. And so nobody likes the delay... However, we're going to be able to go to market plenty fine with Hopper supporting existing infrastructure.”
Why it matters
Intel's Sapphire Rapids delay is causing engineering churn at NVIDIA and hyperscalers but is not a critical path blocker for Hopper revenue. NVIDIA's multi-CPU support strategy (Intel, AMD, Graviton) reduces single-vendor risk and allows Hopper adoption regardless of CPU roadmap slippage.
Investment implication
Intel's CPU delays are unlikely to materially impact NVIDIA's Hopper ramp. However, this signals hyperscalers are building flexibility into their infrastructure to reduce CPU vendor lock-in. AMD EPYC and AWS Graviton become more attractive alternatives if Intel continues to slip.