It is almost certain that the business will introduce its RTX 4090 next-generation graphics card at the Nvidia GTC. Nearly two years ago, Nvidia’s launch caused the biggest GPU scarcity we’ve ever seen, and it’s understandable if you fear we’ll be in the same boat again.
The RTX 4090 will almost certainly sell out when it launches, but you don’t need to get your F5 key ready to buy a GPU. The GPU scarcity was caused by a number of issues, none of which are relevant now.
RTX 4090: When supply and demand collide
This time, there is no epidemic to worry about, which is the largest change for supply chains.
As of now, incidents have decreased since the peak of the year, and despite an uptick a few months ago, it doesn’t seem that another lockdown is imminent. That is helpful, but the supply chain is ultimately the reason we won’t see a shortage.
The GPU shortage that resulted from the semiconductor shortfall has mostly passed. There are many signs that there is an excess supply of chips and insufficient demand for them. Even though supply chain problems have not fully resolved.
Partner swapping
Although the GPU scarcity was likely made worse by the epidemic, it wasn’t the main cause. Samsung was the cause of Nvidia’s problems in the prior generation.
Samsung’s 8nm node is used in the RTX 30-series of graphics cards. And soon after the release of these reports, cards claimed that Samsung had a greater rate of faults than it had planned.
If you’re unaware, Nvidia is “fabless,” which means that the GPUs on its graphics cards aren’t actually made by the company.
Instead, Nvidia handles the design while chipmakers like Samsung manage the manufacture. Going with Samsung in the previous generation was a risk, and it is obvious that Nvidia doesn’t want to take that chance this time.
RTX 4090: The fateful merge
The GPU shortage was brought on by manufacturing concerns, but crypto made it worse. Ethereum in particular extended it. According to one estimate, about 25% of GPU sales during the scarcity period went to Ethereum miners despite the fact that Bitcoin steals the show.
However, Ethereum is currently experiencing severe declines, which is why GPU prices are falling so swiftly. In light of the fact that Ethereum prices are tied to cryptocurrency for the past four years, it is disastrous to see the price of Ethereum rise. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case.
Short-term shortages expected
Short-term shortages are likely, even though it’s highly unlikely that another GPU shortage of the magnitude of the one that occurred in 2020 would occur. Prices typically fall sharply when supply stabilizes
Don’t get swept up in the launch hype, though; that ought to pass fast. Generally speaking, purchasing a GPU the day it is released is a bad idea.
The RTX 4090 will not produce another GPU scarcity on the size of the one we just experienced, so don’t be too concerned about getting one on launch day.
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