Illegal RTX 5090 Shipments Surface in China: MSI Denies Involvement
Pallets full of RTX 5090 graphics cards recently appeared in China – and that would be illegal from the US perspective because of export restrictions. MSI denies any involvement in the illegal deliveries and refers to unauthorized dealers.
Pallets full of RTX 5090 spotted in China
Despite strict US export restrictions, pallets containing hundreds of MSI GeForce RTX 5090 graphics cards have been spotted in a Chinese city. Reddit users published the images of the GPU shipments, which are actually not allowed to reach China legally. The emergence of high-end graphics cards raises questions about the effectiveness of American technology export controls on the one hand, and about the role of the manufacturer on the other.
However, MSI has now released an official statement and denied any involvement in these deliveries. The company states that it has never officially sold or distributed RTX 5090 cards to China. In China, MSI only offers the GeForce RTX 5090 D and GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 – versions that meet regulatory requirements.
As Videocardz reported, MSI’s global serial number tracking shows that these products originated primarily from overseas markets and were imported from unauthorized distributors through parallel channels. According to MSI, all RTX 5090 units appearing in China come from unauthorized channels and entered the country through third-party parallel imports.
Background of the export restrictions
Current US export restrictions prohibit the sale of the RTX 5090 to Chinese customers as this is viewed as passing on too powerful technology to a strategic competitor. The RTX 5090 is particularly sought after in China due to its exceptional AI computing power, where it could be used for machine learning and other AI applications.
The RTX 5090D, originally developed for China, has reduced AI performance from 3352 to 2375 TOPs – a cut of around 29 percent. This is intended to ensure that the card remains below the critical thresholds of US export controls. The US government restricts Nvidia from shipping GPUs to China that offer 1400 GB/s or higher total memory bandwidth and I/O bandwidth of 1100 GB/s or more.
The combined limit for both is 1700 GB/s. However, the recent emergence of the RTX 5090 ranges is not an isolated case. Earlier in the year, an investigation by the… Financial Times indicates that at least $1 billion worth of Nvidia GPUs were shipped to China during strict export controls. Various entities and individuals apparently began smuggling high-performance Nvidia GPUs into China in 2023, after the US also banned the toned-down A800 and H800 versions.
MSI tightens controls
In response to the incidents, MSI announced that it would strengthen channel management and product traceability to prevent future unauthorized distributions. The company warns consumers that products purchased through unofficial channels may have been resold or tampered with and are not eligible for MSI warranty, repair services or technical support in China.
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