Food Truck Instead of Retail: NVIDIA Sells the RTX 5090 in the GTC Parking Lot

In response to the unprecedented demand for the latest GeForce RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs — which are nearly impossible to find at their MSRP — NVIDIA has taken an unorthodox route. During GTC 2025, the company set up a mobile sales station: a brightly decorated truck where attendees can purchase these hard-to-find graphics cards at the recommended prices. However, only those who have already invested in the premium tickets, starting at $1,145, will have a chance to secure one.

The event resembles a high-stakes quest with strict conditions. First, the truck operates only from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Thursday and Friday. Second, there are only 2,000 units available in total (1,000 of each model), and they are released in limited batches. For example, a batch of 90 RTX 5090 cards might be available for just half an hour before disappearing. Third, the limit of one card per person, coupled with the mandatory conference pass, makes this purchase a privilege reserved for the select few.

Back in 2020, CEO Jensen Huang famously "baked" Ampere GPUs in an oven, and now the company has shifted to an “outdoor kitchen” approach — a truck distributing GPUs like a rare delicacy. The irony hasn’t escaped the community: while everyday gamers grapple with shortages, developers at GTC are given a chance to buy the cards needed to create software that could, in turn, drive future demand for NVIDIA products.

Community reactions are mixed. Some call the campaign “cynical marketing,” while others see it as an opportunity for smaller studios to access powerful tools. “Paradox: to buy a $2,000 card, you first have to fork over $1,000 for a pass,” one Reddit user quipped, “NVIDIA is showing us that even a sale can be a luxury.”