Consumers looking to purchase Nvidia's high-end RTX 5090 graphics card are encountering new purchase restrictions at some retailers, including loyalty pledges and government ID scans. These measures, reportedly implemented within the last two days according to one affected customer, aim to prevent the immediate resale or export of the sought-after hardware. One enthusiast shared their experience on Reddit after purchasing a prebuilt PC containing an RTX 5090 from a Micro Center in Tustin, California. The customer stated that the store manager required them to complete a form and provide a scan of their driver's license as a condition of the sale. The form reportedly includes a declaration that the graphics card will be used for personal or business purposes and will not be resold or given away. It also emphasizes that the hardware must remain within the United States, requiring the buyer to list their home address and government-issued ID.
The exact penalties for violating this pledge remain unclear, though linking the purchase to an individual's identification could facilitate tracing. Reports from other retailers suggest similar scrutiny, with some customers claiming to have been questioned about their gaming credentials. These new policies are believed to be a response to escalating resale values of RTX cards internationally and recent government regulations aimed at restricting the export of consumer GPUs to certain countries, including China. The push for AI development has significantly impacted the high-performance hardware market, with data centers acquiring large quantities of GPUs, leading to increased prices and limited availability for consumers.
This situation reflects broader trends influenced by government policies focused on the artificial intelligence sector. Efforts to promote data center construction and AI development in North America have coincided with explosive growth in AI industries across Asia, particularly in China. It appears that US authorities are seeking to control the flow of advanced hardware to prevent it from falling into the hands of competitors, whether for information security or other strategic reasons. Retailers like Micro Center may be implementing these measures to comply with or react to these pressures, potentially indicating that similar policies could emerge at other stores. This is not the first instance of government policy having unexpected consequences within the gaming hardware market, as the broader AI boom continues to drive up prices for PC and console components.