TSMC's R&D boss addresses 40-nm yields, high-k, litho

[saaya]

well it looks so...

i dont know... there is no source mentioning this or even hinting at it... everybody talks about defects... gate variation affects transistor performance and leakage, but it doesnt break chips...

they do pay per wafer but since nvidia has bigger die and lower yields it cost more per chip which is what matters to consumers and nvidia's profit margin. i do remember seeing some research that some company did. gt200 was costed $50 per chip and rv770 was $30 per chip. nvidia probably does get a deal but its not like it makes up for the cost.

i find that hard to believe... if gt200 is only 50$ how come the cheapest card based on gt200 comes in at above 200$?
even now that 55nm is mature and the 260 is under price pressure it doesnt sell for less than 225$, which makes me guess that the chip cost is above 50$... probably close to 75$...