Chinese tech giants seek over $35 billion in Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 chips

ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have placed orders for more than 3 million Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 graphics cards with a combined sticker value above $35 billion, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Reuters. The workstation cards are less powerful than Nvidia’s leading data-center processors, but remain among the strongest products available to Chinese buyers.

The orders expose a mismatch between appetite and supply. Reuters reported that Nvidia could not guarantee delivery and that customers may receive only 5% to 10% of requested quantities. One source said Nvidia had indicated global 2027 production of no more than 3 million cards, while total China orders had exceeded 6 million. The cards cost about $11,400 each.

Inference demand meets export limits

Chinese firms are seeking the cards mainly for inference—running trained models—rather than the largest training clusters. Nvidia’s Blackwell B300 cannot be sold to China under current US controls, while H200 shipments require case-by-case licensing. Commercial RTX PRO 5500 deliveries are expected in the first quarter of 2027, after early samples in December. The rush shows how restrictions are redirecting demand toward compliant, lower-capability hardware while domestic suppliers work to close the performance gap.

Sources

Reuters