As GPU technology advances amid complex international trade regulations, NVIDIA appears to be taking a different approach with its China-specific RTX 5090D compared to its predecessor. Recent leaks suggest a strategic shift in how NVIDIA plans to meet US export requirements while maintaining performance parity between regional variants.
New Compliance Strategy
NVIDIA's approach to the RTX 5090D represents a significant departure from their previous strategy with the RTX 4090D. Instead of reducing core specifications to meet export regulations, the company is reportedly developing new hardware-level controls similar to their previous LHR (Lite Hash Rate) technology. This innovative approach could allow the RTX 5090D to maintain the same core configuration and clock speeds as the global RTX 5090 while still complying with US export restrictions.
Technical Specifications
The RTX 5090D is expected to feature the GB202 die, potentially matching the global variant with 21,760 CUDA cores and 32GB of GDDR7 memory. Clock speeds are rumored to reach 2.9 GHz out of the box, suggesting NVIDIA has found ways to manage performance parameters without compromising raw specifications. The graphics card will utilize a 512-bit memory bus, potentially delivering bandwidth between 1792-2048 GB/s.
| Specification | RTX 5090/5090D (Rumored) |
|---|---|
| GPU | Blackwell GB202-300 |
| CUDA Cores | 21,760 |
| Memory | 32GB GDDR7 |
| Memory Bus | 512-bit |
| Memory Speed | 28-32 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 1792-2048 GB/s |
| TBP | 600W |
Launch Timeline and Market Position
Both the global RTX 5090 and China-specific RTX 5090D are anticipated to launch in January 2025, following an expected announcement at CES 2025 by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. This simultaneous release strategy differs from the previous generation, where the RTX 4090D arrived significantly later than its global counterpart. The pricing is expected to remain consistent between both variants, though specific figures haven't been revealed.
Launch Timeline:
- CES 2025: Initial announcement
- January 2025: RTX 5090 and RTX 5090D launch
- Following months: RTX 5080, 5070 series
- April 2025: RTX 5060 series
Distribution and Availability
Unlike the global RTX 5090, the RTX 5090D will not have a Founders Edition version, following the pattern set by its predecessor. The card will be distributed exclusively through NVIDIA's AIB partners in the Chinese market, ensuring compliance with regional regulations while maintaining the high-performance standards expected from NVIDIA's flagship products.