NVIDIA could bring back one of its most popular GPUs, and interestingly, Samsung could help build it. According to a report by Korea Outlet HankyungSamsung Foundry is gearing up to manufacture chips for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, effectively reviving the existing Ampere GPU for the current market. The move suggests NVIDIA may be relying on Samsung’s manufacturing capabilities to keep gaming GPUs flowing while the industry deals with supply constraints and shifting demand.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 was originally released in 2021 and quickly became one of the most popular GPUs among PC gamers. Even with new generations since then, the card remains popular thanks to its powerful 1080p and entry-level 1440p performance.
Why NVIDIA can revive older GPUs
Restarting production of a five-year-old graphics card may sound strange at first, but the timing actually makes sense. As you know, demand for advanced semiconductor nodes, especially those used in AI chips, has skyrocketed, making it more difficult for companies to secure sufficient production capacity for consumer GPUs.
The RTX 3060, on the other hand, uses Samsung’s 8nm manufacturing process, which was already used in NVIDIA’s Ampere lineup when the card first launched. This means Samsung could potentially resume production without having to compete for the same cutting-edge nodes it is currently prioritizing for AI accelerators and next-generation GPUs.
For NVIDIA, reviving the RTX 3060 could help it keep cheaper GPUs on store shelves while also focusing new manufacturing capacity on more profitable AI and data center hardware. In fact, according to reports, revived GPUs could start appearing back on the market as early as March 2026. However, this schedule has not been officially confirmed by NVIDIA.
Still, for gamers running very common 1080p settings, the return of a tried-and-true midrange card might not be such a bad thing after all.