RTX 5090 GPUs Dismantled for AI Servers in China [Confirmed]

Leaked factory footage circulating across social media platforms in early 2026 reveals that hundreds, possibly thousands, of brand-new consumer RTX 5090 graphics cards are being systematically dismantled across Chinese industrial facilities to fuel enterprise artificial intelligence server clusters. According to verified reports from PC Gamer and hardware sleuths at HKEPC who flagged the viral video footage, retail channels worldwide face extreme shortages. Despite manufacturer assertions that production lines remain fully active, consumer availability has plummeted. Factory insiders exposed how massive shipments intended for retail gaming rigs are intercepted, stripped of their ultra-powerful Blackwell architecture chips, and repurposed into rack-mounted AI accelerators. This black-market pivot underscores an unprecedented hardware crisis where commercial AI profitability eclipses traditional consumer gaming demands. Analysts note that towering compute requirements for large language models have created a lucrative secondary arbitrage market. Factories bypass traditional distribution networks entirely, opting for immediate industrial liquidation. Consequently, retail buyers endure staggering markups and empty shelves, sparking widespread frustration within the global gaming community as scalpers and enterprise buyers dominate inventory pools.