Nvidia’s Latest GPUs Vanish from Shelves on Launch Day

Nvidia‘s highly anticipated RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards disappeared from retailers worldwide within hours of their January 30 launch, marking an unprecedented demand for the company’s latest technology. The immediate stockout surpassed previous launch day shortages, leaving countless potential buyers unable to secure the new GPUs.

The launch day scenario unfolded dramatically across global markets, with users reporting complete stockouts within minutes at many retailers. The new graphics cards, which succeeded the 40-series as the most powerful GPUs available, faced extraordinary demand that overwhelmed available supply. This contrasts sharply with the 2022 launch of the RTX 4090, which maintained some availability for two weeks post-release.

Despite Nvidia’s pre-launch warnings about potential availability issues, the company’s assurances of continuous stock shipments to retailers proved insufficient against the surge in demand. Early-morning queues and online waiting rooms yielded little success for most customers, as inventory depleted almost instantly upon release.

Supply Challenges and Market Pressures

Multiple factors contributed to the severe supply-demand imbalance. A manufacturing setback in 2024, stemming from a flaw in Nvidia’s Blackwell chips, likely impacted production schedules. Additionally, the GPUs’ appeal extends beyond the gaming community, with artificial intelligence applications creating unprecedented market pressure.

The situation has been further complicated by scalper activity, with some resellers listing the graphics cards even before the official launch. While Nvidia plans to release the less powerful RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti in February, industry observers anticipate similar availability challenges. The company continues to ship new stock to retailers, though no timeline has been provided for when supply might meet current demand levels.