Stock of NVIDIA's Lovelace GPUs could soon get thinner on the ground ahead of RTX 5090 launch

NVIDIA's set to reduce its production of Lovelace graphics cards from now on in preparation for the launch of Blackwell GPUs later this year.

That's the latest from the rumor mill, specifically Korean tech site Quasarzone as noticed by Wccftech.

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NVIDIA could be redirecting production resouces from gaming to AI GPUs, if this rumor is right (Image Credit: NVIDIA)

Industry experts in South Korea are cited as sources who are saying that NVIDIA has told its manufacturing partners that it'll be dropping shipments in terms of supply for existing RTX 4000 graphics cards.

This is ahead of the launch of RTX 5000 models - although according to the rumor mill, only the RTX 5090 is due this year. We've previously been told that the Blackwell flagship should turn up late in the year, possibly as late as November - though fresh buzz from the grapevine has suggested it could be earlier.

Quasarzone mentions a launch date of H2 2024 for Blackwell, which again suggests we might see the RTX 5090 earlier than expected, perhaps - add some heavy seasoning here, of course.

That's especially true if production levels are being reduced as claimed, preparing the ground for Blackwell already. There's talk of a 'sharp decline' in Lovelace shipments, but it isn't clear which SKUs this might apply to.

Doesn't add up?

Some of this doesn't add up, though. As mentioned, key rumor-mongers around NVIDIA GPUs seem pretty sure that only the RTX 5090 is happening in 2024, and the rest of the Blackwell range won't be out until 2025. And, that being the case, it seems premature to be enacting restrictions on supply and thinning out Lovelace stock at this point to any great extent.

The broad claim is that NVIDIA will maintain pricing on RTX 4000 GPUs as stock levels are reduced, and more chips will be funneled towards the AI market - where greater profits lie. Now, that we can believe, but overall, this feels like one of the more unlikely rumors we've encountered, and even the Quasarzone report urges some considerable caution around it.

We'd file this one under 'ignore for now' but if it is true, it's likely that other sources will pick up on the move. Time will tell...

Elsewhere today in happenings around Team Green's GPU range, one graphics card that has surprised us with 'huge' demand out of nowhere is NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 3050. Apparently the recent 6GB spin on this GPU is seeing price hikes due to how popular it is in China, although in fairness, it does have a niche appeal for certain scenarios with its compact nature and low power consumption.