Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, again apologized for shortages of the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 video cards, which are based on the company’s new Ampere architecture, during Nvidia’s GTC 2020 fall keynote.
Speaking during a prerecorded keynote, Huang said Nvidia “expected and prepared for huge demand,” and assured gamers that the video cards are “worth the wait.” He finished by saying “We’re working around the clock.”
Nvidia’s new RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 remain in intense demand, with new stock selling out within minutes of becoming available. The initial stock of each card sold out almost instantly at multiple retailers, followed by a wave of new listings on eBay. Gamers complained that most cards were snagged by bots operated by scalpers.
More recent stock hasn’t fared much better. According to Nowinstock.net, a website for managing stock notification across multiple stores, the latest round of RTX 3080 video cards in stock at Newegg on October 2 sold out in about four minutes.
Huang’s apology, which reiterated the incredible demand for Nvidia’s new RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 video cards, suggests the situation isn’t about the change. Although apologetic, Huang’s language strongly reinforced the limited supply Nvidia is able to produce relative to the demand the company is seeing.
Gamers have asked that Nvidia enforce stronger protection against bots and scalpers. Huang didn’t offer any specific details about how the RTX 3070 launch might work differently from the launch of those previous video cards. With that said, nearly a month remains until the October 29 launch date for the RTX 3070, so the company has time to further clarify its policies.
Still, even Huang clearly believes the company’s cards will remain in high demand, and that many would-be owners will have to be patient. Gamers hoping to snag one of this year’s hottest new GPUs will have to act quickly — or use a bot.
