Nvidia has warned that the supply of its RTX 30 series graphics cards will be low in the coming months, with an unexpected increase in availability until at least after the first quarter of 2021. Speaking as part of the 19th annual JP Morgan Tech / Auto Na Forum Conference (transcript available at Seeking Alpha), Nvidia’s chief financial officer, Colette Kress, said it was not possible to keep inventory levels in line with customer demands. Kress noted that there is not much stock available at the moment and expects it to continue “during the first quarter”. With the first quarter ending in March, it means that the shares are likely to be sold until at least April.
“To talk about supply, we must first discuss the demand. We had an exceptional general holiday season, ”said Kress. “We had an exceptional general holiday season. The demand for games is off the charts. Our general Ampere architecture and radius tracking are truly a success. This demand has remained stronger for longer. Therefore, the supply remains tight at this moment. ”“ We expect that the general inventories of the channel, that is, the inventories that are with our AIC partners, as well as in our retail and e-tail channels, are likely to remain thin throughout the first quarter. Our overall capacity has not been able to keep up with the strong general demand that we have seen, ”added Kress.
Nvidia said it is “working every day to improve our overall supply situation”.Probably powered by a strong critical response, Nvidia’s RTX 30 series has been selling fast. Money changers quickly realized the demand for Nvidia’s most powerful cards of all time, and therefore have been a notable problem in strangling inventory. There is also the question of whether many cards are being purchased for use in cryptocurrency mining, but Nvidia admitted it does not know whether this has genuinely contributed to demand.
The problem is likely to affect the next RTX 3060, which looks set to be the most affordable GPU the company has made in at least two generations. A better stock situation can be found in the company’s new series 30 laptop graphics processors, but of course that means investing in a brand new laptop.
Matt Purslow is the news and entertainment writer for IGN in the UK.
