NVIDIA RTX 5090 Graphics Cards Reach $5,000 on China's Black Market Amid AI Demand

The demand for NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards in China has surged, primarily driven by the capabilities of DeepSeek's AI models, which allow companies to run advanced AI computations at a lower cost compared to specialized AI chips. The RTX 5090 has become a preferred choice for AI firms due to its high performance and affordability, resulting in prices reaching up to $5,000 on the black market. This trend mirrors the previous crypto-mining boom, highlighting a significant shift in how AI companies leverage consumer GPUs for complex tasks. The scarcity of traditional AI accelerators has further fueled this demand, with many units being sold at inflated prices on platforms like eBay as well. As NVIDIA's GPUs evolve, they are increasingly recognized as essential tools in the AI landscape, democratizing access to advanced technology. The ongoing situation emphasizes the growing intersection of gaming hardware and AI applications, reshaping market dynamics globally.