There’s some disappointing news for gamers eagerly waiting for NVIDIA’s mid-range RTX 50 GPUs. Due to a shortage in chip supply, Team Green is experiencing production delays amidst overwhelming demand.
The RTX 50 series from NVIDIA hasn’t had the smoothest rollout. The launch saw notably low stock levels for the flagship GeForce RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 models. This scarcity stems from the ongoing global semiconductor demand, with little sign of improvement on the horizon.
Renowned leaker @mingchikuo has hinted that NVIDIA is planning to postpone the launch of its mid-range RTX 50 GPUs by about a month. This delay aims to ease the pressure on the supply chain.
In a recent tweet, Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed that, although gamers are eager to snag the RTX 5090 and 5080 cards, supply issues might push the mass production of the RTX 5070 and 5060 from initially planned February or March to March or April. As a result, these cards will likely sell out quickly due to limited availability.
Previously today, we touched on this update, where it was shared that the RTX 5070’s release is now pushed to early March. Kuo’s comments corroborate this delay. The simple truth is NVIDIA can’t keep up with the demand for its current GPUs, and launching new models would only lead to further shortages, leaving consumers even more frustrated.
For a glimpse into the supply chain predicament, @kakashiii111 tweeted that Taiwan received fewer than 100 units of the RTX 5090—a stark reality for such a significant market for NVIDIA. This scarcity seems widespread, as multiple regions report “single-digit” inventory levels for NVIDIA’s flagship RTX Blackwell GPU. At present, Team Green is struggling to balance supply and demand, and it doesn’t seem like the situation will stabilize for several months.
During discussions with a major Taiwanese retailer, Kakashii learned that they received only 20 units of the 5090 and 300 of the 5080 in the first batch. Smaller retailers in Taiwan didn’t fare much better, often securing just one or two units.
This postponement might turn out to be somewhat strategic for NVIDIA, allowing them to potentially overshadow AMD’s RX 9070 series GPUs—if they manage a smooth release, that is. However, right now, AMD seems well-positioned to dominate the mainstream GPU market with its RX 9070 models, thanks to current unfavorable sentiments towards NVIDIA.
