In an unexpected turn of events, what appears to be NVIDIA's next-generation flagship graphics card, the GeForce RTX 5090, has been spotted in action at a factory in Indonesia. This leak provides tech enthusiasts with an early glimpse of the highly anticipated GPU months ahead of its expected launch.
The Leak
Images and video footage, originating from a Chinese tech forum and later shared on Bilibili, show what is claimed to be the RTX 5090 undergoing testing in a facility believed to be operated by ZOTAC, a well-known NVIDIA board partner. The GPU is seen powering on and successfully booting into Windows, eliciting cheers from factory staff.
Specifications and Design
While detailed specifications remain unconfirmed, the leaked images reveal some interesting aspects of the RTX 5090:
- A massive three-fan cooling solution, suggesting a three or four-slot design
- Powered by a single 12V-2x6 (16-pin) power connector
- Slightly larger than the current RTX 4090, but not dramatically so
Rumored specifications include:
- Over 21,000 CUDA cores (a 33% increase from the RTX 4090)
- 32GB of GDDR7 memory
- 512-bit memory bus
- Potential 600W TDP
Production Strategy
Interestingly, the leak suggests that this Indonesian facility may be part of a strategy to circumvent US chip export restrictions to China. By manufacturing in Indonesia, NVIDIA and its partners could potentially maintain supply to the Chinese market for high-performance GPUs that exceed the capabilities of the China-specific RTX 4090D.
Launch Timeline
Industry insiders speculate that NVIDIA may unveil the GeForce RTX 50 Blackwell series, including the RTX 5090, at CES 2025 in January. However, this early appearance of working samples suggests that development is progressing well.
Implications
This leak, if genuine, not only provides an early look at NVIDIA's next-gen hardware but also raises questions about the company's ability to maintain secrecy around unreleased products. It highlights the challenges faced by tech giants in managing global supply chains and adhering to international trade regulations.
As always with leaks, it's important to approach this information with a degree of skepticism until official announcements are made. Nevertheless, it offers an exciting preview of what could be the next leap in graphics card technology from NVIDIA.