AI-enhanced RTX 5090s set for release in China: Industrial productions redesign gaming cards for server-focused hardware, featuring blower-style coolers
Consumer NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPUs Repurposed for AI Server Needs in China
In a remarkable shift, consumer NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPUs are being repurposed in China by a Shenzhen-based company called "CT" to meet enterprise AI server needs. This transformation involves a detailed reconstruction process that converts these gaming cards into blower-style "Turbo" models optimized for dense server racks.
The process begins with retail RTX 5090 GPUs, sourced from brands like Zotac, Palit, and Inno3D, arriving in large stockpiles despite export controls. Each card undergoes functional tests to ensure the stability of the GPU and memory chips. Defective units are discarded, leaving only top-tier, high-performing dies for the conversion process.
Next, the triple-fan cooling system typical of gaming cards is stripped off. The GPU die and memory are transplanted onto new, industrial-grade printed circuit boards (PCBs) designed for server reliability. These PCBs feature improved gold-plated PCIe contacts and precise manufacturing through tools like BGA rework stations and SMT machines.
Dual-slot blower-style coolers are then installed, which exhaust hot air directly out of the server chassis. This cooling redesign makes the cards thinner and better suited for multi-GPU server racks that can hold up to eight units in a chassis.
Finally, these rebuilt cards are subjected to rigorous post-assembly testing, including 24-hour burn-in cycles to ensure robustness for heavy AI workloads.
This transformation is driven by the growing demand for AI training and inference hardware, pushing firms to repurpose powerful consumer GPUs like the RTX 5090, originally designed for enthusiast gaming, into enterprise-grade accelerators. The "Turbo" blower-style models blur the line between consumer and industrial GPU hardware, addressing supply chain and market pressures while enhancing deployment efficiency in AI data centers.
- In the process of transforming consumer NVIDIA RTX 5090 GPUs into AI server-optimized "Turbo" models, CT, a Shenzhen-based company, replaces the triple-fan cooling system with dual-slot blower-style coolers, making the cards thinner and better suited for multi-GPU server racks.
- Despite export controls, retail RTX 5090 GPUs sourced from brands like Zotac, Palit, and Inno3D are being repurposed for enterprise AI server needs, as firms capitalize on the growing demand for advanced AI training and inference hardware by repurposing powerful consumer GPUs like the RTX 5090 into industrial-grade accelerators.
