# Chinese firms buy 1M Nvidia GPUs yearly amid chip shortage, report says

Digest AI · Hardware & Compute · published 2026-10-13T14:32:20Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/chinese-firms-buy-1m-nvidia-gpus-yearly-amid-chip-shortage-report-says

## Summary

Chinese tech companies purchased over 1 million Nvidia gaming and workstation GPUs in 2025 to meet AI computing demand, according to a *Financial Times* report cited by Tom’s Hardware. Despite China’s domestic AI chip production doubling this year, supply falls short by nearly 1.5 million units, with domestic output expected to reach only 3.5 million while demand exceeds 5 million. The shortfall has driven Chinese firms to repurpose Nvidia’s RTX Pro 6000D, RTX Pro 5000, and RTX 5090 GPUs—despite these being less powerful than Huawei’s Ascend 910C—for simpler AI tasks like pre-filling, per the report. Prices for these GPUs have surged, with the RTX 5090 now selling for up to **$7,199** from resellers, up from its **$1,999** MSRP. Nvidia has also halted production of the RTX 5090, replacing it with a lower-capacity RTX 5080, raising concerns about market contraction for enthusiasts. The reliance on Nvidia’s CUDA software, favored over Huawei’s Cann alternative, further drives demand.

## Key points

- Chinese firms bought over 1M Nvidia GPUs in 2025 to fill AI chip demand gap
- Domestic AI chip production doubled this year but still falls short by ~1.5M units
- RTX 5090 prices surged to $7,199 from $1,999 MSRP due to high demand

## Why it matters

The shift to Nvidia GPUs highlights China’s continued dependency on U.S. tech despite local chip growth, straining global GPU supply and pricing. It also signals AI’s growing dominance over gaming hardware markets.

## Sources

1. [Chinese AI companies buy 1 million Nvidia GPUs in a single year, report claims](https://tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/chinese-ai-companies-buy-1-million-nvidia-gpus-in-a-single-year-report-claims-export-control-compliant-chips-flood-the-market-to-bridge-gap-in-compute-demand) (Tom's Hardware, 2026-10-13)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Chinese firms buy 1M Nvidia GPUs yearly amid chip shortage, report says", 13 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/chinese-firms-buy-1m-nvidia-gpus-yearly-amid-chip-shortage-report-says

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