Nvidia and AMD will phase in price increases for graphics cards, with memory costs being the main driver.
According to South Korean media NewSis reported this week (December 30), due to the continued rise in memory prices, NVIDIA and AMD have planned to gradually increase the prices of their GPU products starting from this month, and this adjustment is not a one-time action but will be carried out in phases over the next few months.
The report states that this round of price hikes not only involves consumer-grade graphics cards but may also affect AI data centers and server-use GPU products, indicating that cost pressures have fully emerged throughout the entire GPU industry chain.
RTX 5090 May Surge to $5,000, AI Demand Becomes a Key Factor
Among the products about to see an increase, consumer-grade graphics cards will be hit first. Industry sources indicate that NVIDIA's upcoming RTX 50 series as well as AMD's Radeon RX 9000 series are on the list for the first round of price adjustments.
Taking NVIDIA's flagship model, the RTX 5090, as an example, its factory price was approximately $1,999 (about RMB 14,000) at the beginning of last year. The latest market expectations show that this model's price may soar to $5,000 (about RMB 35,000) this year.
It is widely believed in the industry that the explosive demand in the AI sector is one of the key factors driving up the prices of high-end GPUs significantly.
AMD Takes the Lead This Month, NVIDIA May Follow in February
Sources revealed that AMD is expected to start adjusting the prices of some of its GPU products this month, while NVIDIA's price hike measures might officially kick off in February next year.
Both companies plan to adopt a "gradual increase" approach to cope with the continuously rising production costs.
Memory Cost Soars, Exceeding 80% of GPU Manufacturing Costs
The core reason for this round of graphics card price increases is considered to be the significant rise in memory prices.
As AI computing demands continue to drive up memory usage, the global supply and demand relationship for memory has become increasingly tight, making it difficult even for large chip manufacturers to absorb the cost pressures.
An industry insider stated:
"In the current GPU manufacturing cost structure, the proportion of memory has exceeded 80%, which is a rare situation in the past."
Institutional Forecast: Memory Prices May Rise by Over 40%, Doubling Not Ruled Out
Market research firm Counterpoint predicts that overall memory prices may increase by more than 40% this year and in the second quarter.
There are also more aggressive views suggesting that, driven by AI, some general-purpose memory prices could even double.
Industry insiders pointed out that within the next year, memory price trends will become one of the decisive factors affecting the GPU market, and major technology companies and chip manufacturers will be forced to reassess their cost structures.
Conclusion
Overall, under the multiple pressures of the AI wave, tight memory supply, and continuously rising manufacturing costs, an increase in GPU prices may become a long-term trend.
Whether it's ordinary consumers or business users, they may need to face higher graphics card procurement costs in the coming period.