Nvidia reportedly halts RTX 5090 production to prioritise AI and pro GPUs

[Slate Fraction]

Nvidia has reportedly stopped selling GB202 chips for consumer GeForce RTX 5090 cards, Tom's Hardware reports. The claim comes from a leaked notice from an unnamed factory, posted by the leaker known as hongxing2020. A second leaker, Zed__Wang, reportedly confirmed it. According to the claim, GB202 chips will now go only into data centre and professional cards, including the China specific D versions of the 5090

Nvidia has not commented, and Tom's Hardware stresses that this is unverified rather than an official announcement. Still, writer Anton Shilov argues that the move would make economic sense. The RTX Pro 5500 uses the same GB202 chip with 21,760 CUDA cores as the 5090, but carries 84GB of GDDR7 memory instead of 32GB. The RTX 6000 Pro reportedly sells for about $15,000, far more than any gaming card

If the report is accurate, the effects on gamers are clear. Existing stock of the RTX 5090 would run down and prices would likely climb. A rumoured RTX 5080 with 24GB of memory could become the new flagship gaming card. Nvidia's next generation Rubin based RTX 60 cards are not expected until late 2027 or 2028

This would fit a broader pattern we have seen in recent weeks. AI demand is pushing up prices for memory, storage and other components. Circana just reported that US console sales are weak partly because of component shortages linked to AI data centres. Intel is even reportedly bringing out new processors that use cheaper DDR4 memory because DDR5 prices have soared

It is frustrating for PC gamers, but understandable from Nvidia's point of view. The same chip earns far more in a professional or data centre card. The upside is that current high end cards should hold their value, and mid range options remain strong. Hopefully supply improves once new manufacturing capacity comes online

Would you still buy an RTX 5090 at higher prices if the report is true? And is AI demand starting to hurt PC gaming?

Nvidia reportedly halts GeForce RTX 5090 production in favor of AI data center and professional GPUs - impending supply drought expected to drive up prices, RTX 5080 24GB rumored as new gaming flagshipwww.tomshardware.com