Nvidia to cut RTX 50 series graphics card production due to memory shortage

According to sources, overall graphics card shipments will decline by 30-40% compared to the first half of 2025. Specifically, unofficial forecasts suggest that shipments to the Chinese retail market in the first half of 2026 could decline by a similar 30-40% year-on-year. The most significant reductions will affect the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5070 Ti models with 16 GB of memory, which are among the most popular. It is believed that their price-performance ratio, thanks to their large memory capacity, makes these models particularly vulnerable to shortages.

However, the most popular model among users—the RTX 5070 with 12 GB of memory—will likely not be affected by the production cuts. Therefore, the company is trying to focus its available resources on maintaining production of its most popular product.

The backdrop for this decision is the general crisis in the memory market. Prices for RAM and solid-state drives have increased severalfold in recent months. This not only directly impacts the cost of graphics cards but also reduces overall consumer demand, forcing users to postpone purchasing new systems and upgrading existing ones.

The question of when the situation will stabilize remains open. Optimistic forecasts point to a possible improvement by mid-2026. However, some analysts and industry sources fear that the shortage caused by the AI ​​boom could last until 2028. If this pessimistic scenario materializes, it could have a significant impact on the entire consumer market, including a possible delay in the release schedules of new hardware and even next-generation gaming consoles.