AMD's next-generation Radeon HD 6000 series GPUs are expected to ship this November and will be build using the existing 40nm process, according to sources from graphics card makers. Digitimes.com today reprots that the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the maker of both AMD's and Nvidia's GPUs, is skipping its 32nm R&D for GPUs and advanced directly to 28nm R&D. As a result, AMD's new GPUs, codenamed "Southern Islands," will most probably be made using the 40nm manufacturing process, which was also used for AMD's existing generation of GPUs, the 5000 series. This could mean that AMD's new 6000 series will probably not offer the extra benefits expected by a new and most advanced GPU, due to the series' GPU structure and processes being similar to the existing 5000 series.

AMD's rival Nvidia is also expected to launch its new entry-level GPUs (GeForce GT 430) as well as cut its existing GPU prices (mainly the GeForce GT 220 and GTX 460 768MB) in October.