The GeForce RTX 4090 initially entered the Chinese market in October 2022 with a price tag of RMB 12,999, approximately $1,800. This week, the U.S. government introduced new restrictions that have an impact on the sale of certain NVIDIA GPUs in various nations, including China. Notably, the GeForce RTX 4090 is among the affected products. Consequently, we have observed a significant surge in the prices of this high-performance graphics card within the Chinese market, accompanied by a noticeable shortage of available stock.
Impact on the Chinese GPU Market
As per a survey conducted across diverse Chinese retailers, the current lowest price stands at RMB 26,000, approximately $3,600, marking a doubling of its launch price. As is the case globally, those with remaining stock have exercised the freedom to set their desired prices, with the high-end Ada Lovelace GPU frequently fetching prices exceeding RMB 30,000, about $4,100.
Exceptionally high prices have left only those retailers who refrained from substantial price inflation with depleted stocks. There is speculation that, in anticipation of the U.S. government’s decision to impose these restrictions, Chinese consumers may have preemptively acquired a considerable portion of these graphics cards at the initial launch price.
It is common knowledge that the GeForce RTX 4090 stands out for its outstanding gaming performance, not to mention its substantial demand for AI-related applications, attributable in part to its dedicated cores designed for such tasks.
Hence, the primary motive behind the imposition of GPU trade restrictions in China, the largest market affected by these measures, is to restrict the country’s access to technology that the U.S. considers cutting-edge. This technology is of paramount importance for utilization in AI and advanced computing applications, including those deployed by the military.
Countries Affected by the U.S. Decision
Furthermore, it is important to note that the U.S. decision affects several other countries. These rules will take effect within 30 days and will encompass the following nations:
- Afghanistan
- Saudi Arabia
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Cambodia
- China
- Cyprus
- Cuba
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Georgia
- Haiti
- Yemen
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- North Korea
- South Korea
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Macao
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Qatar
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Republic of the Congo
- Russia
- Myanmar (Burma)
- Central African Republic
- Somalia
- Sudan
- South Sudan
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Zimbabwe.