Nvidia is reportedly shifting production away from its flagship RTX 5090 consumer graphics card to focus on specialized "RTX Pro" models geared towards artificial intelligence development, according to a leaker with a strong track record. This alleged move signifies another instance of the gaming hardware industry redirecting resources toward the lucrative AI sector.
MEGAsizeGPU, a leaker who previously accurately predicted Nvidia's naming conventions for GPUs, stated that the GB202 GPU dies are now being allocated to RTX Pro cards instead of the RTX 5090. While Nvidia has not officially confirmed this shift, the RTX Pro line is designed for professional workloads, including AI development, rendering, and complex visualizations. Nvidia's product descriptions highlight these cards as crucial for accelerating tasks such as fine-tuning large language models and running local AI assistants.
This development aligns with a broader trend where demand from the GenAI industry and data centers is impacting the availability and pricing of consumer hardware. Similar to recent trends with RAM and SSDs, chip manufacturers are prioritizing components for AI firms, potentially exacerbating shortages and price increases for everyday consumers. The situation has led to legal challenges, with a US lawsuit accusing major memory manufacturers of worsening the crisis through alleged price fixing and supply manipulation.
For PC owners navigating these challenging market conditions, resources offering advice on managing hardware costs and availability remain valuable. Efforts by industry commentators to provide guidance during this period aim to help consumers make informed decisions when upgrading or maintaining their setups.