The RTX 4090D for China has less CUDA cores than its RTX 4090 cousin.
To comply with US export rules, Nvidia is producing a graphics card particularly for China. Nvidia reveals the RTX 4090D on a product page on the Chinese version of its website: a GPU that is less powerful than the flagship RTX 4090 it sells elsewhere.
The RTX 4090D features less CUDA cores than the RTX 4090, with a maximum of 14,592 as compared to 16,384. It also has a somewhat reduced power draw (425W vs. 450W). Although most other specifications stay the same between the two CPUs, the RTX 4090D is still “5% slower in gaming and creating,” according to Nvidia spokesperson Benjamin Berraondo in an emailed comment to The Verge.
After the United States imposed export restrictions on high-end processors transported to China, Nvidia debuted the GPU. The new limitations prevent Nvidia from not just selling the less powerful H800 and A800 AI GPUs it created for the Chinese market, but also from selling the RTX 4090 in the nation.
“The GeForce RTX 4090 D has been designed to fully comply with U.S. government export controls,” Berraondo said, adding that the firm “extensively engaged with the U.S. government” in the chip’s development.
The RTX 4090D will be available in China beginning in January at a price of 12,999 RMB ($1,836 USD). Its release may help to alleviate China’s rising demand for powerful graphics cards, which has allegedly caused some Chinese firms to deconstruct and reuse the prohibited RTX 4090 for AI.
