GeForce RTX 50 Gaming Laptops Allegedly Delayed To Meet AI Chip Server Demand
During CES 2025, NVIDIA made a splash by announcing its new GeForce RTX 50 series Blackwell GPUs. It also announced RTX 50 series laptops, which would release after the initial desktop lineup hit the market. It is common knowledge that the GeForce RTX 5080 and GeForce RTX 5090 have been in fairly short supply. Queues have increased for those wanting the new GPUs, with many retailers getting very few units to sell to eager consumers.
Early speculation indicated that NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series laptops were supposed to already have been launched, but there are supposed delays afoot. NVIDIA recently revealed that preorders for OEMs will start on February 25th, with the exact release date unclear.
According to DigiTimes, the theory is that NVIDIA's focus on making AI server chips have taken priority and thus impacted the release of its other products. This is based on what the outlet says it heard from talking to sources familiar with NVIDIA's supply chain process, and noting it is uncommon for this to happen as NVIDIA is typically reliable in this regard.
Early speculation indicated that NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 50 series laptops were supposed to already have been launched, but there are supposed delays afoot. NVIDIA recently revealed that preorders for OEMs will start on February 25th, with the exact release date unclear.
According to DigiTimes, the theory is that NVIDIA's focus on making AI server chips have taken priority and thus impacted the release of its other products. This is based on what the outlet says it heard from talking to sources familiar with NVIDIA's supply chain process, and noting it is uncommon for this to happen as NVIDIA is typically reliable in this regard.
GeForce RTX 50 series laptops feature NVIDIA's Blackwell architecture, including Blackwell Max-Q for power efficiency. This is the same architecture as NVIDIA's very profitable AI server chips going into data centers worldwide. It is no secret that large companies such as Microsoft are buying NVIDIA's data center GPUs at a rapid rate, with demand far exceeding supply.
The consumer facing products, such as gaming GPUs and laptops, will have lower typical profit margins and more market friction. NVIDIA has competition in the AI space, but it enjoys a dominant lead in marke tshare that makes its focus on data center a priority (which is far more lucrative).
The GeForce RTX 5070 desktop GPU has also supposedly experienced a delay, albeit a small one. Originally expected in February, it is now likely to come in early March. While speculation can point to either production and AI-focused related causes, it might also be a strategic shift in timing to counter AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT, which will be fully unveiled during a livestream event this month.
AMD has also experienced some delays in the RX 9070 XT launch, with mystery surrounding actual dates and even more exact specifications of the GPU. We now know it's coming in March, so the GPU battle is sure to get heated in this segment of the market with a large number of consumers waiting for new products. Frank Azor confirmed it will not come in 32GB VRAM variants, just 16GB, too.
While supply chain issues are apparently here to stay in the age of AI, we hope for positive outcomes for consumers looking for the next big thing in GPUs as enthusiasts ourselves.
The consumer facing products, such as gaming GPUs and laptops, will have lower typical profit margins and more market friction. NVIDIA has competition in the AI space, but it enjoys a dominant lead in marke tshare that makes its focus on data center a priority (which is far more lucrative).
The GeForce RTX 5070 desktop GPU has also supposedly experienced a delay, albeit a small one. Originally expected in February, it is now likely to come in early March. While speculation can point to either production and AI-focused related causes, it might also be a strategic shift in timing to counter AMD's Radeon RX 9070 XT, which will be fully unveiled during a livestream event this month.
AMD has also experienced some delays in the RX 9070 XT launch, with mystery surrounding actual dates and even more exact specifications of the GPU. We now know it's coming in March, so the GPU battle is sure to get heated in this segment of the market with a large number of consumers waiting for new products. Frank Azor confirmed it will not come in 32GB VRAM variants, just 16GB, too.
While supply chain issues are apparently here to stay in the age of AI, we hope for positive outcomes for consumers looking for the next big thing in GPUs as enthusiasts ourselves.
