
NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090D was supposed to be a clever workaround – a GPU specially created to comply with U.S. export regulations while still delivering advanced gaming performance to Chinese consumers.

But recent reports suggest that even this modified version may not make it to market.

### NVIDIA RTX 5090D: A China-Specific Solution

The RTX 5090D was designed specifically for the Chinese market in response to the U.S. government's increasingly strict export rules. These rules target high-performance chips like the NVIDIA H100 and H20, and AMD's MI300 series, banning them from being sold in China if they exceed certain memory and I/O bandwidth thresholds.

To get around these limits, NVIDIA modified the RTX 5090D to lower its AI throughput while keeping specs that matter to gamers intact – such as core count, memory size, and clock speeds. That may not have been sufficient, however.

### The Bandwidth Problem

Intended to limit China's ability to develop advanced AI systems, U.S. export regulations on chips impose strict caps on memory and I/O bandwidth: **1,400 GB/s and 1,100 GB/s, respectively – _or_ a combined total over 1,700 GB/s**.

If the RTX 5090D exceeds any of these thresholds, it could still be restricted, despite being designed with reduced AI capabilities and not typically suited for large-scale enterprise workloads. The problem is, it very well might fall into the restricted category based on total bandwidth.

NVIDIA appears to be [taking preemptive action](https://wccftech.com/nvidia-reportedly-prepares-for-a-ban-on-the-geforce-rtx-5090d-in-china/) – asking add-in board (AIB) partners to halt shipments and prep work, and even putting a pause on related orders by cooling module manufacturers.

So far, there's been no official statement from NVIDIA. But after getting burned when the RTX 4090 was unexpectedly swept up in a prior wave of export controls, NVIDIA is reportedly acting early this time with this "precautionary" move amid ongoing regulatory uncertainty between the U.S. and China.

### What This Means for the Market

Whether this sales halt is temporary or permanent remains to be seen, but the wider implications are potentially far-reaching. The RTX 5090D was the only flagship-class Blackwell GPU intended for Chinese gamers. If it's taken off the table, that leaves a gap in the market – and an opportunity for rivals like AMD, which is reportedly preparing a China-exclusive gaming GPU.

Furthermore, these ongoing developments reflect a growing reality: that geopolitical decisions are impacting GPU availability worldwide.

While Chinese consumers lose access to another high-end option, global suppliers are keeping a close eye on what happens next. Constraints in one region can ripple across the supply chain, affecting availability, pricing, and competitive positioning elsewhere, as well.

### High-End Compute On Demand

While geopolitical tensions disrupt supply in some regions, developers, researchers, and creators still need reliable access to powerful hardware. Vast.ai offers a flexible and cost-effective alternative.

Our cloud GPU rental platform delivers high-performance compute – H100s, H200s, RTX 5090s, and more – at a fraction of the typical cost. With on-demand pricing and spot instance options, **Vast users save 5–6X on GPU compute** compared to traditional cloud providers.

Explore your options and get started today\! With Vast, you don't have to wait to access the power you want.


NVIDIA's RTX 5090D, designed specifically for the Chinese market to bypass US export restrictions, now faces uncertainty as it may still exceed bandwidth thresholds. NVIDIA has reportedly asked partners to halt shipments amid regulatory concerns, potentially leaving a gap for competitors in China's high-end GPU market.

RTX 5090D Faces Uncertainty in China Amid Export Crackdown


NVIDIA has [confirmed](https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-blackwell-rtx-pro-workstations-servers-agentic-ai) the launch of the RTX Pro Blackwell series – a revolutionary generation of workstation and server GPUs. Designed to meet the needs of professional designers, data scientists, developers, and content creators, the lineup features a cutting-edge **RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell** GPU for workstations, plus other desktop and laptop variants and a data center version.

After early signs of the card [appeared in shipping logs](https://vast.ai/article/nvidia-rtx-pro-6000-x-rumors-blackwell-gpu-with-96gb-vram-spotted-in-shipping-log) a couple of months ago, we now have full details straight from the source – and this GPU is no minor upgrade. Built on NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture and featuring an incredible **96GB of GDDR7 memory** on a **512-bit bus**, the RTX Pro 6000 is set to redefine what's possible on a single professional workstation.

Here's what we now know about the RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell GPU.

### NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000: Specs That Mean Business

At the heart of the RTX Pro 6000 is the **GB202 die**, aligning with previous high-end Blackwell GPUs, like the RTX 5090\. But while the RTX 5090 is geared toward gamers and other enthusiasts, the RTX Pro 6000 goes all in for professional use.

We've certainly seen professional-grade GPUs with massive VRAM configurations before – there's the RTX 6000 Ada with 48GB of memory, for instance. However, the RTX Pro 6000 offers **double that amount**, with the faster speeds and efficiency of GDDR7 ECC memory. This makes it one of the most powerful workstation GPUs ever released.

And that's not all. On top of **24,064 CUDA cores** and **1,792 GB/s of memory bandwidth**, here's what else you get with this beast of a machine:

- **Streaming multiprocessors** with new neural shaders, delivering up to **1.5X** faster throughput for AI-augmented graphics workflows.
- **Fourth-gen RT cores** offering up to **2X** faster ray tracing performance for photorealism and complex 3D environments, with optimizations for **RTX Mega Geometry**.
- **Fifth-gen Tensor cores** capable of **4,000 AI TOPS**, supporting **FP4** precision and **DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation** for cutting-edge AI graphics and accelerated model prototyping.
- **Ninth-gen NVENC** **& sixth-gen NVDEC**, improving encoding and decoding speed and quality for pro video work.
- **PCIe Gen 5 interface**, doubling bandwidth for faster CPU-GPU data transfer and smoother performance on heavy data workloads.
- **DisplayPort 2.1** support for ultra-high refresh rates – up to **4K at 480Hz** and **8K at 165Hz** – enabling multi-monitor setups with high color accuracy.
- **Multi-Instance GPU (MIG)**, allowing secure partitioning into up to **four GPU instances** for better workload isolation and resource allocation.

Not surprisingly, the RTX Pro 6000 does require a substantial **600 watts** of power, albeit only slightly more than the 575 watts of the RTX 5090\. But with that power comes the performance needed for agentic AI, immersive XR, large-scale simulation, and autonomous systems development – workloads where speed, memory, and throughput are non-negotiable.

(For more details and specs, check out the table at the bottom of this page\!)

So the only question that remains is: when can you get your hands on one?

### Availability and Rollout Timeline

The RTX Pro 6000 Workstation Edition is [expected](https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-blackwell-rtx-pro-workstations-servers-agentic-ai) to **start shipping in May 2025** from manufacturers like BOXX, Dell, HP, Lambda, and Lenovo.

The server version of the RTX Pro 6000 is also on the way, with systems from Cisco, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Supermicro expected to launch "soon," according to NVIDIA. Laptop variants, featuring **24GB of VRAM**, are expected to ship later in the year, from Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Razer.

NVIDIA hasn't announced official pricing yet, but estimates place the RTX Pro 6000 around $8500 – quite the investment. Fortunately, for those who need top-tier professional-grade GPU performance without the upfront cost, there are more accessible options.

### Access GPU Power Without the Overhead

Here at Vast.ai, we're excited to expand our GPU rental offerings as the **RTX Pro 6000 series** rolls out this year. In the meantime, you can tap into powerful GPUs like the **H100**, **H200**, and other high-performance options, all available on-demand through our platform, today.

With Vast, you can enjoy flexible, cost-effective access to serious compute power – with no long-term commitments and no hardware overhead – that's ready when you are.

### NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000: Key Specs

| Specification                    | RTX Pro 6000                                         |
| :------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------- |
| **Architecture**                 | Blackwell                                            |
| **GPU**                          | GB202                                                |
| **GPU Memory**                   | 96GB GDDR7 ECC                                       |
| **Memory Bandwidth**             | 1792 GB/s                                            |
| **Memory Interface**             | 512-bit                                              |
| **CUDA Cores**                   | 24,064                                               |
| **5th-Gen Tensor Cores**         | 752                                                  |
| **4th-Gen RT Cores**             | 188                                                  |
| **L2 Cache**                     | 128 MB                                               |
| **AI TOPS**                      | 4000                                                 |
| **Single-Precision Performance** | 125 TFLOPS                                           |
| **RT Core Performance**          | 380 TFLOPS                                           |
| **System Interface**             | PCIe 5.0 x16                                         |
| **Display Connectors**           | 4x DisplayPort 2.1b                                  |
| **Video Engines**                | 4x NVENC (9th Gen); 4x NVDEC (6th Gen)               |
| **MIG Support**                  | Up to 4x 24GB; or 2x 48GB; or 1x 96GB                |
| **Graphics APIs**                | DirectX 12, Shader Model 6.6, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.3 |
| **Compute APIs**                 | CUDA 12.8, OpenCL 3.0, DirectCompute                 |
| **Thermal Solution**             | Double-flow-through                                  |
| **Form Factor**                  | 5.4” H x 12” L, dual slot, extended height           |
| **Total Board Power**            | 600 watts                                            |


NVIDIA has confirmed the launch of the RTX Pro Blackwell series – a revolutionary generation of workstation and server GPUs. Designed to meet the needs of professional designers, data scientists, developers, and content creators, the lineup features a cutting-edge RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell GPU for workstations, plus other desktop and laptop variants and a data center version.

Posts about: Blackwell

RTX 5090D Faces Uncertainty in China Amid Export Crackdown

NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell: Redefining the Workstation GPU

Posts about: Blackwell

RTX 5090D Faces Uncertainty in China Amid Export Crackdown

NVIDIA RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell: Redefining the Workstation GPU

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