For the first time in five years, Nvidia has confirmed it will not unveil any new GPUs at CES 2026, effectively shutting down lingering rumors about an upcoming RTX 50 Super series. The company made the announcement on X, stating its keynote will feature no new hardware, marking a significant departure from its long-standing tradition of launching new desktop and mobile graphics cards at the annual event. This decision comes amid a worsening global component shortage, particularly affecting high-speed DRAM—critical for next-generation GPUs. Nvidia’s latest Blackwell architecture relies on GDDR7 memory, which is not only cutting-edge but also extremely difficult to manufacture at scale. Only three companies worldwide—Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung—produce advanced DRAM, and they are prioritizing AI-focused clients, where margins are substantially higher. The surge in demand from AI labs like OpenAI and other frontier AI projects has strained supply chains beyond capacity. These organizations are pursuing massive computing ambitions tied to artificial general intelligence (AGI), creating a bottleneck that leaves consumer-grade hardware production struggling to keep up. As a result, even basic components like memory are in short supply. The situation has become so dire that rumors have surfaced suggesting Nvidia might restart production of the RTX 3060, a card built on Samsung’s older 8nm process and using GDDR6 memory—components that are easier and cheaper to source. While such a move remains speculative, it underscores how desperate the supply crunch has become. The geopolitical landscape adds another layer of complexity. The U.S. government views advanced AI infrastructure as a strategic priority, and maintaining dominance over China in this arena has led to policies that favor AI chip exports and domestic semiconductor investment—often at the expense of consumer availability. Despite these challenges, Nvidia has so far avoided raising prices on its current GPUs, suggesting the company is still managing inventory and supply constraints without passing costs directly to consumers. However, analysts warn this may not last. As AI demand continues to outpace supply, consumer markets could soon face another wave of scarcity and inflated prices—similar to past shortages in the 2010s. Still, some in the tech community remain cautiously optimistic. Industry insiders, including Sapphire’s PR manager, believe that even in this storm, supply chains will eventually adapt. The key, they argue, is waiting for the AI boom to slow, which will free up manufacturing capacity for consumer products. Until then, PC builders and gamers are left waiting—once again—on the sidelines.