What we know

Leaked footage reveals that factories in China are dismantling thousands of Nvidia RTX 5090 graphics cards, including Founders Edition models. These GPUs are being stripped down to harvest components for use in AI servers. This large-scale repurposing appears to be reducing the availability of RTX 5090 cards for consumers. Chinese factories are disassembling RTX 5090 GPUs by the thousands to supply AI server hardware. Founders Edition cards, typically reserved for consumers, are included in this dismantling process. This activity is likely contributing to shortages of RTX 5090 cards in the retail market.

Why it matters

The RTX 5090 is a premium graphics card favored by gamers and professionals for its high performance. As AI workloads demand more powerful hardware, repurposing consumer GPUs for AI servers shifts supply away from the gaming market. Understanding this trend highlights how AI’s growth impacts hardware availability and pricing for end users.

What is still unknown

Details about how this dismantling affects GPU performance or longevity are not available. The extent to which this practice impacts global RTX 5090 supply remains unclear. No information on official Nvidia responses or measures to address these shortages has been reported.