NVIDIA’s mid-range RTX 50 series GPUs are facing a bit of a hiccup as the company grapples with a chip supply shortage amidst soaring demand.
NVIDIA’s RTX 50 Series Struggling with Supply Issues: Possible Launch Delay for Mid-Range GPUs
The roll-out of the RTX 50 series hasn’t been smooth sailing for Team Green. They came to market with notably low stock numbers for their flagship GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs. This shortfall is likely due to the overwhelming global demand for semiconductors, and unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the situation is set to improve anytime soon.
Word on the street, thanks to well-known leaker @mingchikuo, is that NVIDIA plans to push back the launch of their mid-range RTX 50 GPUs. Originally scheduled for release, these might be delayed by about a month to alleviate some pressure on the supply chain.
A Twitter post from February 12, 2025, by Ming-Chi Kuo highlights the excitement from gamers and power users for the RTX 5090 and 5080. Despite this enthusiasm, limitations in chip supply are causing shortages. As a result, the production of the RTX 5070 and 5060 models, anticipated initially for February or March, might now slide into March or April. As it stands, this limited supply could lead to these models selling out quickly.
We highlighted this development in a recent article, noting that the RTX 5070 is now expected to hit the market in early March. Ming-Chi Kuo’s insights support this updated timeline. The crux of this postponement is straightforward: NVIDIA simply can’t keep up with the current consumer demand for GPUs. Introducing new models under these conditions would likely lead to another round of sellouts, leaving consumers frustrated once more.
To grasp the depth of the supply chain troubles, consider an analysis from Twitter user @kakashiii111. They report that Taiwan received fewer than 100 units of the RTX 5090, which is significant given the market size there for NVIDIA. This trend was echoed worldwide, with retailers revealing that they held “single-digit” inventories of NVIDIA’s top-tier RTX Blackwell GPU. Clearly, NVIDIA is struggling to balance supply and demand, and based on our assessments, it may take several months for this to stabilize.
Notably, @kakashiii111 tweeted on February 9, 2025, that a major store in Taiwan got only 20 units of the 5090 and 300 of the 5080 in their first shipment. Conversations with smaller retailers painted a similar picture, with many receiving just one or two units.
This delay in releasing mid-range GPUs might play to NVIDIA’s advantage. They could potentially overshadow AMD’s upcoming RX 9070 series GPUs if they nail the launch. Still, the prevailing sentiment is not currently in NVIDIA’s favor, giving AMD a strong opportunity to capture the mainstream GPU market with their RX 9070 lineup.
