You’re probably aware by now that getting one of NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090 in China, and not the watered-down RTX 4090D that the GPU brand made specifically to meet US export restrictions, has been exceedingly difficult, especially for Chinese AI firms. This has led to said firms turning to the Chinese black market, where folks are reportedly circumventing the restrictions by purchasing pre-built systems, fitted with the powerhouse GPU.
According to MyDrivers, scalpers are resorting to purchasing pre-built systems fitted with RTX 4090 GPUs, prying the prized GPU out of the system, and then selling the component in China. One business in Taiwan even told a story of one company that bought 20 such systems; each unit cost around US$4,450 (~RM21,213), more than double the card’s current US$1,499 (~RM7,145) price tag.
However, these scalpers are still reportedly able to reap a profit, by selling the RTX 4090 to desperate Chinese AI firms, all of whom are willing to pay a fortune for the GPU.
Again, this isn’t the only avenue the Chinese black market has been using to get the full-fat RTX 4090 into the hands of its countrymen, albeit at exorbitant prices. Some outfits have resorted to dismantling the entire GPU at scale – they disassemble the core and solder them on to another PCB, slap on a blower-style cooler, and then label the modified cards as “AI Cards”.
