AMD CEO Lisa Su has officially confirmed that the highly anticipated RDNA 4 graphics cards are on track for an early 2025 launch. This announcement, delivered during AMD’s third-quarter earnings call, puts an end to months of speculation and aligns with more recent predictions from industry insiders. The confirmation comes amidst a significant decline in AMD’s gaming revenue.
Earlier this year, rumors circulated about a potential summer 2024 release, but these proved unfounded. Over time, leakers revised their estimates, pointing towards a 2025 launch window. Su’s statement during the earnings call validates these later predictions.
AMD CEO Lisa Su delivering AMDAMD CEO Lisa Su speaking at a previous event. The company now confirms RDNA 4 will be available in early 2025.
Su addressed the decline in gaming graphics revenue, linking it to the upcoming transition to the next-generation RDNA 4 architecture. “In gaming graphics, revenue declined year-over-year as we prepare for a transition to our next-gen Radeon GPUs based on our RDNA 4 architecture,” Su stated, as reported by VideoCardz. She further emphasized that RDNA 4 will offer “a strong increase in gaming performance,” along with “significantly higher ray tracing performance and new AI capabilities.”
This promise of increased performance raises questions, particularly in light of AMD’s recent strategic shift towards the mainstream market. Discussions with Tom’s Hardware indicated a de-prioritization of flagship GPUs. Some leakers even suggest that the new flagship might not surpass the RX 7900 XTX in raw performance. However, AMD’s focus on improved performance-per-dollar could be the key differentiator for the RDNA 4 series.
RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT on a pink background.Current generation AMD Radeon RX 7900 series graphics cards. The next generation RDNA 4 based cards are expected to offer improved performance per dollar.
AMD’s second-quarter earnings call revealed a 48% year-over-year drop in gaming revenue. The third quarter saw no improvement, with a reported 69% decline year-over-year, primarily attributed to “a decrease in semi-custom revenue.”
With Nvidia’s RTX 50-series also rumored for an early 2025 release, and both companies potentially making announcements at CES 2025, the GPU market is poised for an exciting showdown. The early 2025 timeframe promises a renewed battle for graphics supremacy, with both AMD and Nvidia vying for consumer attention.
