This Nvidia GPU Reportedly Got Too Expensive to Launch

Nvidia has reportedly pulled the plug on its January 2027 launch of the 24 GB GeForce RTX 5080 in China due to the soaring cost of memory chips. The company plans to continue manufacturing the 16 GB version, which the 24 GB card was intended to replace. The 24 GB card would have employed the same graphics processor as the existing RTX 5080, but with larger memory chips - eight 3 GB GDDR7 chips compared to the eight 2 GB chips in the 16 GB model.

The cost of the larger memory chips is estimated to be three times higher than their smaller counterparts.

Speculation suggests that the 24 GB card could have been priced around $2,000, nearly double the $999 US launch price of the 16 GB Founders Edition. Nvidia has not officially disclosed a price for the 24 GB card. Reports hinted at an initial December 2026 launch in China, but Nvidia's board partners were not provided with the necessary design and testing documents until late October. By the end of that month, Nvidia reportedly canceled the January launch plan, leaving partners in the dark about a new date.

The cancellation mainly affects the China market, and Nvidia has not issued a public confirmation of the decision. The company's US marketplace shows the $999 Founders Edition out of stock, while partner versions are listed for $1,800 to $2,500. The 16 GB card remains in Nvidia's lineup and is expected to continue production. However, some third-party distributors in China may raise prices for the 16 GB card by 1,300 to 8,000 yuan, or approximately $195 to $1,200.

Separate projections estimate that some RTX 5080 cards could reach $3,000 at retail, although this is a speculative figure based on reported price increases.