Rumor

Rumors of NVIDIA B40 Production Cuts and China Substituting with 5090/Hopper

Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at 01:33 AM

A rumor suggests that NVIDIA is reportedly cutting production of its B40 AI accelerator card. Furthermore, the report speculates that customers in China are instead utilizing upcoming 5090 gaming graphics cards and existing Hopper-generation accelerators for their needs.

Context

Recent channel rumors suggest NVIDIA is cutting production of its B40 AI accelerator, a chip specifically designed to comply with U.S. export controls for the Chinese market. The B40, which was reportedly entering mass production in June 2025, appears to be facing weak demand just months after its announcement, signaling a potential setback for NVIDIA's strategy to re-engage with China's lucrative but restricted AI sector. The pullback highlights the challenge of selling performance-limited hardware. To circumvent restrictions, Chinese firms are reportedly substituting with older Hopper-based inventory and, more notably, repurposing high-end RTX 5090 consumer gaming cards for AI workloads. Reports indicate automated factory lines are converting these gaming GPUs into AI accelerators, creating a robust grey market that bypasses official channels and undermines NVIDIA's export-compliant product strategy.

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