It looks like PC gamers are in for another tough time next year. According to a new report, NVIDIA plans to dramatically scale back production of its GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards in 2026. The problem isn’t that people don’t buy them; It’s because the global storage market is in crisis and the massive explosion in artificial intelligence is eating up all supply.
AI demand could tighten the supply of RTX 50 series
The rumor mill began churning on the Chinese Bobantang Tech forum and was later picked up by media outlets such as Benchlife and OC3D. NVIDIA is said to be preparing to cut production capacity for its RTX 50-series consumer cards as memory shortages worsen. We’re looking at potentially a 30 to 40 percent supply cut next year compared to the first half of 2025. While NVIDIA hasn’t officially said anything, Benchlife cites several industry insiders who say the math is working out.
The real villain here is memory. specifically GDDR7 – the super-fast VRAM used in the new RTX 50 cards – but the pressure is felt across the board. Data center GPUs, AI accelerators, and enterprise hardware are consuming memory at an insane rate. Suppliers naturally prioritize these highly profitable AI products over the parts used for your gaming PC.
If that proves true, mid-range cards like the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti – both expected to come with 16GB of GDDR7 – could be the first on the chopping block. This hurts for gamers, because 16GB is essentially the new standard for running modern AAA games smoothly. With 8GB cards already struggling, losing access to these higher VRAM options would be a major blow.
It’s worth noting that no one is talking about cuts to NVIDIA’s RTX PRO line, which is aimed at professionals in AI research and engineering. These cards sell for a fortune, so it makes perfect financial sense for NVIDIA to direct its limited GDDR7 supply there instead.
This fits a frustrating pattern we see everywhere. Memory makers are increasingly relying on AI. Micron just discontinued its Crucial consumer memory line to focus on enterprise hardware. Samsung is likely to increase RAM prices and Dell has already warned that commercial PC prices could rise by 30 percent. Even Valve’s rumored Steam Machine sequel could be affected by these rising costs.
For gamers, the conclusion is pretty grim: just when the RTX 50 series should be on the rise, a card might become harder to find. If NVIDIA ends up canceling supposed “SUPER” updates because they simply lack the chips, the mid to high end market will feel very empty. Unless AI cools off or memory factories miraculously catch up, 2026 looks to be a year of high prices and scarce options for anyone trying to build a PC.
