Chinese tech firms order more than $35 billion of Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 cards, Reuters reports
Oct 26, 2026
ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have ordered more than 3 million Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) RTX PRO 5500 graphics cards with a combined value of over $35 billion, Reuters reported on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
What was reported
According to Reuters, as cited by Investing.com and Tom's Hardware:
- the three Chinese companies ordered more than 3 million RTX PRO 5500 cards, priced at about $11,400 each
- total orders from customers in China exceeded 6 million units
- Nvidia indicated that it could produce no more than 3 million RTX PRO 5500 cards worldwide in 2027
- Nvidia told customers it cannot guarantee it will fill the orders, and some partners may receive only 5% to 10% of the quantities they requested
Nvidia has not commented publicly on the report.
What the RTX PRO 5500 is
The RTX PRO 5500 is a professional graphics card that can be used for AI workloads. According to Reuters, Chinese buyers mainly plan to use it for inference, which means running AI models after they have been trained. It is one of the most powerful Nvidia products that can be sold to Chinese customers under current US export rules.
US export rules
The United States restricts sales of advanced AI chips to China. According to the report, Nvidia's Blackwell-based B300 data centre chip cannot be sold to Chinese buyers, and exports of the Hopper-based H200 require case-by-case licences. As a result, Chinese companies have turned to products that are permitted under the rules.
Why supply is limited
Making advanced chips depends on limited production capacity at contract manufacturers and on components such as memory and substrates. According to Reuters, Nvidia is expected to shift much of its manufacturing capacity at TSMC to its next-generation Rubin platform from 2027, which may limit production of other products.
What this means for Nvidia's business
China has historically been an important market for Nvidia, but export restrictions have reduced the range of products it can sell there. Large orders show demand from Chinese customers, but the revenue Nvidia earns depends on how many cards it can deliver and on any future changes to export rules.
Chinese AI companies
ByteDance owns TikTok and Douyin, while Alibaba and Tencent run some of China's largest cloud computing businesses. These companies are developing their own AI models and services and need large amounts of computing power to run them.
How orders compare with supply
According to Reuters, total orders from China for the RTX PRO 5500 are about twice the number of cards Nvidia indicated it could produce worldwide in 2027. This means that, even if all production went to Chinese buyers, only part of the orders could be filled. Nvidia also sells the card to customers in other countries.
Nvidia's wider position
Nvidia is the largest supplier of processors used for AI. Its customers include cloud providers, internet companies and AI developers around the world. The company reports its results quarterly, and its comments on demand, supply and export rules are closely followed by investors.
What to watch
Key items include any comment from Nvidia on China in its next quarterly results, changes to US export rules, and the volume of cards actually delivered.
Risks and uncertainties
The information comes from media reports based on unnamed sources and has not been confirmed by the companies. Export rules can change, and orders may not be fully delivered. Technology shares can be volatile.
What this means for investors
For Investing.one users following NVDA, demand from China and the impact of export rules may be relevant. The information above is based on media reports.
Sources
This is not investment advice. Your capital is at risk.
www.investing.one is solely and exclusively operated by Tradeplace Limited (Registration number HE 434666). Tradeplace Limited is authorised and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (License number 455/25).
The information on this website is general in nature. Please consider the information in light of your objectives, financial situation and needs.
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn't guarantee future results.
We do not establish accounts to residents outside of the EU/EEA area. For further details please see the Client Agreement - Terms and Conditions. For privacy and data protection related complaints and information on handling personal data please refer to our Privacy Policy.
