--- title: "Leaked Video Shows China Taking Apart Thousands of RTX 5090s and Turning Them Into Zombie AI Servers" description: "Industrial facilities in China are buying up workhorse Nvidia graphics cards and repurposing them for AI server racks." date: "2026-10-26" modified: "2026-10-26" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor.md" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/video-china-rtx-5090-graphics-cards-ai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" --- # Leaked Video Shows China Taking Apart Thousands of RTX 5090s and Turning Them Into Zombie AI Servers ![Screenshots of a facility in China repurposing GTX 5090 graphics cards for AI servers.]() *diandian4423 via X* The rise of AI has caused the price of PC components to skyrocket, infuriating anybody looking to make a new purchase or upgrade their gear. Graphics cards have become such a hot commodity that they've become completely unaffordable — and higher-end one's, like Nvidia's sought-after RTX 5090, are hard to even find in stock. One reason for the price and availability issues may be industrial facilities in China buying up the workhorse cards and repurposing them for AI, as [*Tom's Hardware* reports](). A video making the rounds on social media shows the inside of one of these facilities, a major operation that involves swapping out of the circuit board and fitting on a turbine-style cooler. https://twitter.com/kikisknees/status/2114218700467540315 The goal is to "meet the high-density arrangement requirements of AI server chassis," as [IT media news website *HKEPC* noted](), with each card occupying less space than a consumer-grade version. Where these cards end up being shipped to, made opaque by an industry of middlemen, remains unclear at best. Meanwhile, individual consumers who aren't interested in purchasing entire racks to run zombie AI servers are out of luck. An off-the-shelf RTX 5090 can cost well past an [eye-watering $10,000]() — multiples higher than its official MSRP of $1,999. Nvidia has maintained that the RTX 5090 is "alive," and that despite widespread rumors, production hasn't ceased. However, earlier this month, Nvidia senior vice president Jeff Fisher [acknowledged that the card is supply-chain "constrained]()." Even Nvidia's own online marketplace doesn't currently list the card. The latest footage of Chinese repurposing operations perfectly captures the current state of the electronics market, with desperate companies fighting over existing stock to cash in on the AI gold rush. The losers are as apparent as ever: PC builders and gamers, who are left to scrounge for years-old components that aren't powerful enough to be caught up in the chaos. **More on graphics cards:** [*Nvidia Is Facing Nasty Allegations*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Rumors Fly That a Famous Actor Is Dating an AI Chatbot]() - [The Military’s AI Fever Is Leading Into Disaster, Critics Say]() - [Character.AI Is Hosting Epstein Island Roleplays Scenarios and Ghislaine Maxwell Bots]() - [Dario Amodei Says Trump Is Mad That He Hasn’t Given Him “Dictator-Style Praise”]() - [AI Can Mass-Unmask Pseudonymous Accounts, Research Paper Finds]() - [Children’s Toys Are Shipping With Adult AI Inside Them]() - [OpenAI Says It Will Let Users Add Trusted Contacts to Alert If They Experience a Mental Health Crisis While Using ChatGPT]() - [Cities Are Shredding Their AI Surveillance Contracts en Masse]()