Nvidia wants its GeForce GPUs to directly link to your SSD

Nvidia is undeniably ambitious in its quest to create the best graphics cards, but its latest endeavour could make them less CPU dependent. As such, future GPUs could gain direct access to SSD storage, rather than having to use a processor as a middle man.

Highlighted by The Register, Big accelerator memory (or BaM for short) aims to free up CPU resources and allow graphics cards to independently store and access data, which ultimately takes the strain of the component’s own VRAM. The tech also eliminates the need for an API like DirectStorage, allowing GeForce cards to access even consumer-grade drives via PCIe.

It’s worth noting that while BaM could enhance our gaming PCs down the line, the tech’s case paper mainly focuses on intensive workloads and machine learning applications. That said, it’s hard not to imagine what this could mean for high-spec, pixel-pushing rigs, especially if it helps us render higher resolution textures utilising the best SSDs

BaM is currently just a prototype, so it’ll probably be a while before it shakes up the computing scene. It also hurts to think about the potential price of said graphics tech, especially since the RTX 3090 Ti could cost near $4,000. Hopefully, Nvidia’s prices will fall before its RTX 4000 series arrives later this year, paving the way for options that are both advanced and affordable.