ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent have reportedly ordered more than 3 million Nvidia RTX PRO 5500 graphics cards, with a combined list price above $35 billion. Reuters reported the orders through Investing.com, citing people familiar with the matter. The reported purchases show how Chinese technology companies are seeking alternatives as U.S. export controls limit access to Nvidia’s most powerful AI processors.
Three firms seek 3 million GPUs
The orders involve Nvidia’s RTX PRO 5500, a workstation graphics processor rather than a traditional data-center accelerator. Reuters reported that the cards cost about $11,400 each. The three companies are expected to use them mainly for AI inference, which is the process of running trained models to generate answers and other results.
Nvidia’s official product page describes the RTX PRO 5500 Blackwell Workstation Edition as a professional GPU with 84 GB of GDDR7 memory. Nvidia says the card is designed for AI, simulation, graphics and other demanding workloads.
Export controls reshape AI supply
The RTX PRO 5500 is less powerful than Nvidia’s H200 and B300 data-center chips, which are built for large-scale AI training and deployment. Reuters reported that the B300 cannot be sold to Chinese buyers, while H200 exports require case-by-case approval and licensing conditions.
As a result, Chinese firms are competing for a lower-performance product that may still comply with U.S. rules. The demand reflects the computing power needed as Chinese companies develop AI models and deploy the technology across industries.
Nvidia cannot promise deliveries
Nvidia has reportedly warned customers that it cannot guarantee the requested quantities. One source told Reuters that buyers may receive only 5% to 10% of what they requested. Another said Nvidia could produce no more than 3 million RTX PRO 5500 cards worldwide in 2027, while total Chinese orders have already exceeded 6 million.
Reuters reported that Nvidia told customers to expect early samples in December, with commercial deliveries beginning in the first quarter of 2027. The reported limits could reduce the computing capacity available to Chinese AI companies and add pressure to the global chip market.
References
Reuters. (2026, October 20). Exclusive—ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent place over $35 billion worth of Nvidia chip orders. Investing.com. https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/exclusivebytedance-alibaba-tencent-place-over-35-billion-worth-of-nvidia-chip-orders-4959231
NVIDIA. (n.d.). RTX PRO 5500 Blackwell workstation GPU. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/products/workstations/professional-desktop-gpus/rtx-pro-5500/