Chinese tech firms order billions of dollars’ worth of Nvidia cards
ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent are said to have ordered more than three million chips approved for export.
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ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have jointly ordered more than three million RTX PRO 5500 cards from Nvidia, Reuters reports, citing anonymous sources. Based on the price quoted by Reuters, the orders represent a potential value of more than $35 billion. According to Reuters’ anonymous sources, Nvidia may be unable to supply all the cards requested.
According to Reuters, the three Chinese technology companies are seeking available Nvidia hardware as the United States restricts the sale of more powerful chips to China. The RTX PRO 5500 currently falls outside those export restrictions, Reuters reports, making it one of the most powerful Nvidia products still available to Chinese buyers.
These are workstation GPUs intended for powerful professional computers. They are less suitable for the largest data centres than Nvidia’s H200 and B300 processors, but according to the sources they could be used mainly for AI inference: running already trained models, for example in chatbots.
The reported orders are not the same as completed deliveries or revenue. Nvidia is said to have warned customers and partners that it can commit to only 5 to 10 per cent of the quantities requested. One source says the company can produce no more than three million RTX PRO 5500 cards worldwide in 2027, while customers in China are said to have jointly requested more than six million cards.
According to Reuters’ sources, a card costs about $11,400. That puts the potential combined value of the orders above $35 billion. Reuters reports that ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent did not respond to its questions. The US Bureau of Industry and Security and China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology also provided no comment, according to Reuters.
Nvidia did not confirm the orders, but said that demand from China for workstation chips and cards has grown exceptionally strongly since 2022. Reuters identifies that as the year in which the US export restrictions were introduced. The manufacturer also says that US companies face both American rules and Chinese restrictions on importing US products.
The development shows how export controls are directing China’s AI sector not only towards domestic chipmakers, but also towards products that remain legally available. At the same time, it remains uncertain how many cards will actually be delivered and how significant their eventual contribution to Chinese AI systems will be.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Reuters reported on 20 October that ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent had jointly ordered more than three million RTX PRO 5500 cards.
- According to Reuters, the potential value is more than $35 billion at list prices.
- According to the sources consulted, the card currently falls outside US export restrictions on more powerful AI chips.
- According to anonymous sources, Nvidia is probably unable to meet the full demand.
- The companies and government agencies involved have not officially confirmed the specific orders.
Left
Arguments Export restrictions should not be viewed solely as a trade measure, but also as part of the responsibility of technology companies and governments to develop AI capacity in a manageable and socially responsible way. From this perspective, the high demand underlines that chip trading affects power relations, security and public oversight.
Values International co-operation, technology regulation and limiting the concentration of power.
Consequences A further race could put pressure on energy, raw materials and public resources, while piecemeal export rules could encourage companies to build the same capacity through alternative products.
Centre
Arguments Targeted export controls can serve legitimate security interests, but must remain technically precise and enforceable. If a less powerful card falls outside the rules while demand for it grows explosively, it is logical to reassess the policy’s consequences and effectiveness.
Values Proportionality, legal certainty, accountability and economic stability.
Consequences New rules may be necessary, but overly broad restrictions could disrupt supply chains, harm businesses and accelerate innovation on both sides of the market.
Right
Arguments From this perspective, the orders show that US restrictions are not removing Chinese companies from the AI race, but mainly costing US companies revenue and making Chinese alternatives more attractive. Technology companies should have room to operate legally without constantly changing political blockades.
Values Free trade, national economic interests, entrepreneurship and strategic competitiveness.
Consequences A prolonged trade confrontation could damage US market shares, accelerate the development of domestic Chinese chips and ultimately further fragment the global technology industry.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The article’s core follows a Reuters report published on 20 October 2026 and is substantively supported by an independent technical source. The precise order quantities and delivery expectations remain officially unconfirmed and are therefore presented as reported information.
- confirmed ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have jointly ordered more than three million RTX PRO 5500 cards. — Reported by Reuters based on two sources; substantively picked up by Tom’s Hardware. source
- confirmed The potential value of the orders is more than $35 billion. — Reuters cites a price of about $11,400 per card and a total above $35 billion. source
- uncertain Nvidia may be able to supply only 5 to 10 per cent of the quantities requested. — This is an estimate by anonymous sources and has not been officially confirmed by Nvidia. source
- confirmed The RTX PRO 5500 is less powerful than Nvidia’s H200 and B300 chips. — Reuters describes the RTX PRO 5500 as a workstation chip and the H200 and B300 as more powerful data-centre chips. source
- confirmed Nvidia says Chinese demand has grown exceptionally strongly since 2022. — Reuters attributes this statement to an Nvidia spokesperson. source
- confirmed The orders are not the same as cards actually delivered or revenue realised. — This follows directly from the distinction between orders and possible delivery; Reuters also reports that Nvidia cannot guarantee full delivery. source
Editor's note
The size of the orders and expected deliveries are based on anonymous Reuters sources and have not been confirmed by Nvidia or the three Chinese companies. Nvidia’s general statement about exceptionally strong Chinese demand was independently reported by Tom’s Hardware.Sources
- ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent place over $35 billion worth of Nvidia chip orders — Reuters via MarketScreener
- China’s tech giants drop $35 billion on export-compliant Nvidia RTX Pro 5500 workstation GPU orders — Tom’s Hardware
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