an insane number of RTX 5090s spotted in China from r/pcmasterrace
Current US export restrictions have it that the RTX 5090 isn’t allowed to be sold to Chinese customers, as this would be giving a competitor too much powerful tech. That’s why Nvidia makes and sells a cut-back version of the GPU to China—first the RTX 5090D and then the RTX 5090D V2, the latter having launched just a couple of months ago. But there’s been talk (and specifically images) of MSI RTX 5090 graphics cards ending up in China, so MSI has just clarified that “MSI has never officially sold or distributed the GeForce RTX 5090 in China.”
Amidst back-and-forth tariffs and restrictions in the US-China trade war over the last few months, there have been reports of big smuggling operations running restricted AI chips into China.
For instance, earlier in the year a Financial Times investigation suggested at least $1 billion worth of Nvidia GPUs were shipped to China during strict export controls, and there have even been arrests in a different case regarding exports of “tens of millions of dollars’ worth of sensitive microchips used in artificial intelligence (AI) applications” over the last three years.
And despite Nvidia’s protestations that we shouldn’t tell “tall tales that large, heavy, and sensitive electronics are somehow smuggled in ‘baby bumps’ or ‘alongside live lobsters,” it does seem that restricted Nvidia chips have been ending up in China.
The latest on this front, which VideoCardz points out is likely what MSI is referring to, is a bunch of MSI RTX 5090 pallets seemingly pictured in China. It’s likely this that MSI is denying involvement in, in addition to reaffirming its compliance with international regulations:
"We strictly comply with international regulations and Nvidia’s regional authorization framework. The GeForce RTX 5090 is available only in the Americas, Europe, and select Asia-Pacific markets. In China, MSI offers only the GeForce RTX 5090 D and GeForce RTX 5090 D V2—versions designed to meet local regulatory requirements. Any RTX 5090 units appearing in China can therefore be clearly identified as non-official supply.
(Image credit: Future)
“Our global serial-number tracking shows that these products mainly originate from overseas retail markets, imported by unauthorized distributors or resellers through parallel channels. They are outside MSI’s official supply chain, unverified in source and handling, and not covered by our quality-control or warranty policies.”
RTX 5090 cards aren’t the only Nvidia chips to face restrictions, of course, as AI server accelerators have been restricted, too. Earlier in the year, H20 GPUs were banned from being exported to China. Then, Nvidia started applying to sell H20s to China again after the US government assured the company that licenses would be granted.
But since then, China has been resistant to getting the chips, and Nvidia even paused production because of this. It’s not only the US that doesn’t want powerful Nvidia chips in China’s hands—China doesn’t seem to want its companies and datacentres relying on US tech, either, and has apparently banned some companies from buying Nvidia’s AI chips.
Given all this, it’s not surprising that MSI would want to explicitly distance itself from any possible restricted GPUs ending up in China. Those are diplomatic waters companies could do without splashing around in. And although I can’t claim any knowledge at all, it’s also reason to believe no big GPU retailer would risk attempting to sell such GPUs to China through any kind of back door right now.
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