Reuters: ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent order $35 billion in Nvidia workstation chips, supply may meet only 5-10% of demand
According to a Reuters exclusive, Chinese tech giants placed massive orders for Nvidia RTX PRO 5500s, but suppliers warn that production constraints will limit delivery rates significantly.
According to an exclusive report by Reuters on October 20, ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent have collectively ordered more than 3 million Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 workstation chips, with a total list price exceeding $35 billion. The figures come from two anonymous sources, and none of the three companies nor the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
The report states that each RTX PRO 5500 is priced at approximately $11,400. Two other sources indicated that total orders from Chinese customers have exceeded 6 million units. Nvidia has informed clients that it cannot guarantee fulfilling these orders because Chinese demand far exceeds originally planned production volumes. Some partners may receive only 5% to 10% of their ordered quantities, while another source noted that Nvidia can produce a maximum of 3 million units globally in 2027.
The RTX PRO 5500 is a workstation chip with performance lower than data center-specific H200 and B300 models, though comparable to the discontinued RTX 6000D released in mid-2025. Sources say Chinese enterprises primarily intend to use it for AI inference rather than training. Under U.S. export control frameworks, B300s are banned from sale to Chinese buyers, and H200s require case-by-case review with licensing conditions, making the RTX PRO 5500 one of the few high-end Nvidia chips still accessible to Chinese buyers.
An Nvidia spokesperson stated that Chinese workstation chip businesses have seen "unprecedented growth" since controls were implemented in 2022, criticizing U.S. export controls as outdated and covering gaming products released nearly five years ago. Previously, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang noted that restrictions had effectively reduced the company's share in China's AI data center chip market to zero, allowing local suppliers like Huawei to expand their market presence. All order numbers and delivery ratios remain unconfirmed claims attributed to anonymous sources cited by media.