The GPU Shortage of 2023 - RTX 4090 😱 🚀
Why has this happened again?
Unlike the shortages that we all experienced during the Pandemic whereby shortages surrounded almost any graphics card - this shortage pertains to the RTX 4090 chip from NVidia and in some cases the 7800XT chip from AMD. These shortages and price changes are for a very different reason.
The current shortage has been caused by a number of factors. The first is from a boom in the AI market and these GPU's are driving this boom. NVidia has the A100 chip that is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to AI and data modelling meaning booking lead times from NVidia have tripled. In turn this has led to the RTX 4090 being an easy to access solution.
In addition to the surge in demand for AI applications there has been speculations surrounding changes to US Export bans to China for Specialist Artificial Intelligence GPU's like the A100, the RTX 4090 was also included in this ban and this has subsequently created a surge in demand causing a buying frenzy.
There are also rumours that OpenAI is in discussions with NVidia to connect 10 million, yes you read correctly, 10 million GPU's to make an even more advanced AI model.
What is being done to help?
As we enter the Christmas trading period we are already seeing manufacturers put more regulation on stock availability to ensure that there is stock available for the gifting season. That being said in some cases we have been informed that certain models of Graphics Cards will not be available this side of 2023. This news comes from all major Graphics Cards manufacturers, Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI, Palit, Sapphire, Zotac, PNY, Powercolor and Inno3D.
What can you do to get your hands on one?
Our advice is be proactive, set up stock alert notifications (you can do this on gotraka.com) on the models that interest you, visit our Graphics card page to view the entire range. You can also speak to us regarding any custom builds as we have a separate stock holding for builds.
This wont be a permanent shortage and there are expectations that all will settle down by February 2024, however we understand that this is some time away and if you are eager to get your hands on a new GPU to upgrade your rig then we advise you to look at the RTX 4080 or RTX 4070 as an alternative as these lines will also be affected by the RTX 4090 shortage.
Have any feedback on this blog or have more insights please reach out to us on help@gotraka.com.
