RTX 5090 cards are reportedly being converted for AI servers in China
Reports say retail GeForce RTX 5090 cards are being dismantled and rebuilt for AI servers in China, though the supply chain remains unclear.
NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5090 is already difficult to buy at sensible prices. New footage reported by VideoCardz and AUTOMATON now appears to show large Chinese workshops dismantling retail RTX 5090 cards and rebuilding them for use in AI servers.12
What the footage appears to show
The footage, shared by Hong Kong technology outlet HKEPC, shows rows of graphics cards being stripped down. Workers remove the original cooling systems, take out the GB202 GPU and GDDR7 memory, then fit the components to custom boards with compact blower-style cooling. That makes it possible to place more cards inside servers than the bulky three- or four-slot gaming designs allow.12
The cards visible in the footage reportedly include models from ASUS, Gigabyte and PNY, as well as NVIDIA’s Founders Edition. VideoCardz describes the operation as a production-line-style conversion facility rather than a small workshop, with hundreds of cards apparently moving through the process. The original video was taken down, but HKEPC’s reposted footage remains the basis for the reports.1
Why RTX 5090 cards are being repurposed
NVIDIA’s official product page lists the RTX 5090 with 32GB of GDDR7 memory and positions it as a top-end gaming and AI-capable GPU.3 The same performance makes the card useful to operators trying to build dense AI systems, particularly while dedicated data-centre hardware is affected by export controls and availability constraints.
The situation is complicated by US restrictions on exporting standard RTX 5090 boards to China. NVIDIA has produced adjusted China-market models such as the RTX 5090 D v2, but the cards shown in the footage appear to be standard retail versions. Neither the reporting nor the footage establishes where the large stockpile came from, so the supply chain behind the operation remains unclear.12
No verified 64GB upgrade
The modified cards should not be confused with the unverified 64GB and 96GB RTX 5090 claims that have circulated among Chinese suppliers. VideoCardz says there is still no publicly verified method for expanding the card’s original 32GB GDDR7 memory, and the footage itself only supports the claim that retail GPUs are being moved to different boards and cooling systems.1
That distinction matters: a converted card may fit a server more conveniently, but it is not automatically a higher-capacity accelerator. The available evidence supports a physical repackaging operation, not a confirmed memory breakthrough.12
Our opinion
This is a supply story as much as a modding story. Every RTX 5090 diverted into a server conversion line is one fewer obvious route to a gaming PC, although the footage alone cannot tell us how large the operation is or whether it materially affects global stock. The more revealing question is how so many retail cards reached one facility in the first place. Until that chain is documented, the factory footage is compelling evidence of a practice, not proof of its full market impact.