Nvidia’s China-exclusive RTX 6000D graphics card has reportedly drawn little interest in the Chinese market, raising concerns that the company could be left with a massive surplus of unsold GPUs. According to Reuters, the card—intended to fill the gap left by the temporarily banned and later reinstated H20—has received a lukewarm response from Chinese customers, despite being tailored to comply with U.S. export restrictions. The lukewarm reception stems from the card’s significantly reduced performance compared to its global counterparts. Designed to meet U.S. regulatory limits on AI-capable hardware, the RTX 6000D features throttled capabilities, particularly in AI training and inference workloads, making it less appealing to Chinese data centers and AI developers who need high-performance computing. Analysts at JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley estimate that Nvidia could produce between 1.5 million and 2 million of these China-specific GPUs by the end of 2025. If demand remains low, the company may face a substantial inventory backlog, potentially leading to write-downs or forced discounting. The situation reflects the ongoing volatility in U.S.-China tech trade relations. In 2025, the Trump administration has imposed and lifted tariffs and export controls multiple times, especially targeting advanced AI chips. In response, Nvidia has developed a series of region-specific GPUs, including the RTX 5090D and the H20, to navigate these shifting regulations while still serving the Chinese market. However, these compliance-focused models often come with performance trade-offs that hinder their competitiveness. While they meet U.S. rules, they fail to deliver the full power expected by Chinese enterprises investing heavily in AI infrastructure. As a result, Chinese firms are increasingly turning to domestic alternatives from companies like Huawei, Alibaba, and Biren, which offer more tailored solutions and avoid U.S. regulatory risks. This shift further diminishes the appeal of Nvidia’s China-only offerings. With demand falling short of expectations and production ramping up, Nvidia now faces a difficult balancing act: continuing to manufacture these restricted chips in large volumes could lead to financial losses, while scaling back may disrupt supply chains and alienate key customers. The outcome could reshape the company’s strategy in one of its most important and challenging markets.