NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4090 graphics processor is being converted into "artificial intelligence" solutions in batches to meet China's growing needs. China has recently been subject to significant export restrictions on artificial intelligence hardware from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Under the new rules, several GPU suppliers including NVIDIA, AMD and Intel are now banned from selling specific artificial intelligence chips to China. Among them, NVIDIA GPU has been subject to the most severe ban. Even the consumer-focused Geforce RTX 4090 graphics card has been forced to withdraw from the Chinese mainland market due to its high computing power.
It was reported that before the ban took effect a few days ago, NVIDIA had prioritized the sale of its AIB partners' AD102 GPU and GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards to China. This may be one of the reasons why the RTX 4090 is currently in short supply in other parts of the world, and the card is currently priced at over $2,000 in the United States. Not only that, China's giants in the field of artificial intelligence have also hoarded a large number of Nvidia GPUs, which can provide computing power for several generations of their artificial intelligence models.
Now, insiders from Baidu Tieba have revealed that dedicated factories are being set up across China to receive these GeForce RTX 4090 shipments (sent before the ban). One picture shows hundreds of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 graphics cards from PALIT. It is said that more graphics cards are on the way. Asus ROGSTRIX and Gigabyte GamingOC variants were also shown in the post. As for the purpose of these graphics cards, it is obviously not for playing games.
The price of GeForce RTX4090 GPU continues to rise, even beyond the reach of high-end gaming fields. The unit price is close to US$10,000, but there is one market that is hungry for these graphics cards, and that is the field of artificial intelligence in China.
For artificial intelligence, the software ecosystem of RTX4090 already exists, and almost no modifications are required at the software level to support the latest LLM. NVIDIA recently announced the introduction of TensorRT and TensorRT-LLM to Windows 11 PC, making it even easier to use. The software side is all set, but how practical is it to use game design in a server environment?
Each graphics card is a 3 or 4-slot design, which means it takes up extra space, which is not suitable for server AI environments. So workers in these factories are disassembling each graphics card. First, the massive cooler is removed, then everything including the GPU and GDDR6X memory are removed from the main PCB. It is said that specially designed "reference" PCB boards give these AD102 GPUs and GDDR6X memory a new lease of life.
Each graphics card comes with a dual-slot radiator with a blower-style design. There are several versions of blower radiators, all with similar specifications. Blower style GPU coolers are designed for large server environments where multiple GPUs need to run together and efficiently dissipate heat away from the heatsink.
After assembly is completed, the newly born NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 AI solution will undergo rigorous testing in the test laboratory, where we can see Furmark, 3DMark and a large number of AI applications running on it to ensure that they can meet the needs of AI customers. Once everything checks out, the GPUs will be packaged and sent to artificial intelligence companies in China.
This process has also resulted in a large number of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 radiators and bare PCBs flooding the Chinese resale market. These PCBs and heatsinks are now available for very cheap, often for less than $50, because the most valuable components (AD102 GPU and GDDR6X memory) are already taken apart. They definitely make great collectibles, but it's also a shame that all this engineering expertise is wasted. These PCBs may come in handy for future RTX 4090 repairs, as the card still occasionally falls victim to the defective 12VHPWR connector.
With the ban in effect, Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 GPUs can no longer be shipped to China without a license under the "NEC" eligibility rules. After this time point, the supply of AD102 in other regions is expected to return to normal, and prices will also begin to normalize.