Nvidia Removes Popular RTX 4090 Gaming Card From Chinese Website

Nvidia has removed information about its RTX 4090 gaming card, one of the most popular cards among gamers, from its official website in China, raising concerns about supply among local users.

Nvidia did not give a reason for the change. The 4090 graphics card has disappeared from the company's GeForce RTX 40 series launch website in mainland China. Chinese buyers can only choose from the 4080, 4070, and 4060 cards.

RTX 4090 graphics cards are sought after in China. (Photo: Techspot)

Supply of the 4090 in China has been tight due to its performance in graphics processing applications, and there are concerns that it could be withdrawn after the US updated its export controls last month, setting higher standards for exports of advanced graphics processing units (GPUs) to China.

Several of Nvidia's major hardware partners in China — including AsusTek Computer, Micro-Star International, and Colorful Technology — have also pulled the RTX 4090 cards from their respective online stores on e-commerce platforms Taobao and JD.com, adding to worries about inventory levels in the country.

However, the RTX 4090 is still available to buy through e-commerce retailers and grey market distributors, according to SCMP. A merchant on JD.com was offering the card for 22,894 yuan on November 20. Several other limited-edition Nvidia GPUs, including the 4090, are also available through unofficial channels.

In its October export update, the US introduced provisions to mitigate the impact on the consumer market, making room for some artificial intelligence chips for individual users.

The RTX 4090 and RTX 6000 are eligible for the exemption. However, both are now listed alongside a range of banned data center GPUs such as the Nvidia H100, A100, H800 and A800, according to a document provided to SCMP by an Nvidia distributor.

The two chips, while not designed or marketed as data center GPUs, boast total processing performance above the 4800 threshold.

In China, the 4090 is more than just a gaming card. It helps autonomous vehicle companies run “cognitive functions” on self-driving cars, according to an engineer at Autra Technology, a developer of L4-level autonomous trucks. L4-level vehicles can operate without active driver intervention.

Most of the concern in China, though, has focused on restrictions on Nvidia’s data center chips, with prices for the H800 and A800 jumping 40% from a month ago, according to a sales manager at an Nvidia distributor.

Nvidia has developed three new data center GPUs for Chinese customers after two of its own chips were banned last month, but the first shipments are not expected until late December.

(According to SCMP)

Nvidia banned from exporting certain AI chips immediately The US government is requiring Nvidia to immediately stop exporting certain chips without a license from the Department of Commerce.

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