NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090 Graphics Card: Compliance with US Export Rules

In an effort to adhere to US export restrictions, NVIDIA has introduced a low-powered version of its GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card specifically for the Chinese market. The RTX 4090D, as it is called, features fewer CUDA cores and a lower power draw compared to its counterpart, resulting in a five percent reduction in speed when gaming and using creative applications. Despite this performance dip, NVIDIA still claims that the 4090D offers a “quantum leap in performance, efficiency, and artificial intelligence-driven graphics.”

The US export restrictions on high-end computer chips were implemented to prevent China and Russia from developing technology that could be used in applications such as weapons manufacturing and surveillance. These rules were announced in 2022 and officially enforced in 2023, causing manufacturers like NVIDIA to scramble for solutions that would satisfy both Chinese consumers and US regulators.

To address this issue, NVIDIA has developed a new GPU that fully complies with US government export controls. The company has also stated that it extensively engaged with the US government during the development of the chip. The RTX 4090D is set to be available in China in January, priced at ￥12,999, which is approximately $1,836 USD.

The introduction of the RTX 4090D is expected to help alleviate the demand for powerful graphics cards in China, as the export restrictions have reportedly led to the repurposing of factories to focus on AI accelerators instead of the banned RTX 4090. This move by NVIDIA demonstrates the company’s commitment to adhering to regulatory requirements while still providing a product that meets the needs of the Chinese market.