Nvidia, the U.S. chipmaker, has introduced a modified version of its advanced gaming chip. The company announced this chip in order to align with U.S. export controls targeting China. Nvidia calls this new chip GeForce RTX 4090 D. According to the company, the new chip is a revolutionary leap in performance, efficiency, and AI-driven graphics. Nvidia spokesperson has stated that Chinese customers will have access to this chip starting in January. The spokesperson emphasized that the development of the GeForce RTX 4090 D involved extensive collaboration with the U.S. government to ensure complete compliance with export controls.
“The GeForce RTX 4090 D has been designed to fully comply with U.S. government export controls. While developing this product, we extensively engaged with the U.S. government,” stated the Nvidia spokesperson. This undermines the chip’s adherence to regulatory requirements and its availability to the Chinese market in January.
The New Chip from Nvidia is the Company’s First Ever China-Specific Chip 
Nvidia has introduced the GeForce RTX 4090 D, which is the first chip specifically for China. This comes after the Biden Administration announced export rules in October. The new rule blocked the sale of two modified AI chips (A800 and H800) from Nvidia for China under the previous rules. This also affected the high-end gaming chip RTX 4090.
Gizchina News of the week
According to the chip industry newsletter SemiAnalysis, Nvidia might unveil three new AI chips designed for the Chinese market around November 16 in response to the export rules from October.
But, according to Reuters, Nvidia informed its customers in China last month that it would postpone the release of one of these chips until the first quarter of next year. Nvidia has not yet listed the other two chips on its website.
Nvidia has dominated over 90% of China’s $7 billion AI chip market. Analysts suggest that the restrictions from the U.S. government could open up opportunities for Chinese companies like Huawei Technologies to gain a stronger foothold in the market.
On December 11, U.S. Commerce Secretary Raimondo stated in an interview with Reuters that Nvidia can sell AI chips to China. However, there is restriction on those with the highest processing power.
The Nvidia RTX 4090 D is Slower Yet, More Expensive 
The Nvidia spokesperson mentioned that the China-specific RTX 4090 D, in comparison to the banned RTX 4090, is “5% slower in gaming and creating.”
The price of the China-focused RTX 4090 D is set at 12,999 yuan ($1,842). It is 350 yuan ($50) more expensive than the second most advanced chip in the product series available to Chinese customers.
