GeForce RTX 5090 hits the Chinese market despite sanctions
13:58, 23.12.2025
Nvidia's top-of-the-line graphics cards, which are mainly aimed at the gaming market, are being used to develop AI systems. In this way, Chinese developers are trying to compensate for their lack of access to professional accelerators. As a result, the GeForce RTX 5090 is in very high demand on the gray market.
Ban on shipments to China
The GeForce RTX 5090 graphics card with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory is banned from being shipped to China. The GeForce RTX 5090D, which has only 24 GB, was specially developed for the local market. However, this card was also only available for a limited period due to the introduction of additional restrictions. Only in the middle of this year did some positive changes occur regarding the sanctions. As a result, it became possible to ship the RTX 5090D with 24 GB of memory.
Chinese developers lack sufficient computing resources due to the smaller memory capacity. Therefore, sanctioned graphics cards are being shipped through gray channels. Some resources are posting multiple photos of contraband products. Local customers are willing to pay €5,000 for a card, while the recommended price remains around €2,000.