AMD's RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT: A March 2025 Launch, Amidst Speculation and Market Dynamics
AMD unveiled its next-generation graphics cards, the RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, at CES 2025. However, their absence from AMD's keynote presentation, despite vendor displays on the show floor (with redacted specs), fueled intrigue. David McAfee, VP & GM of Radeon Graphics and Ryzen CPUs, subsequently announced a March 2025 release date via Twitter/X.
McAfee stated that the Radeon 9000 series hardware and software are progressing well, with plans for widespread global availability. While the March launch is confirmed, crucial details like specifications and pricing remain undisclosed. Industry analysts anticipate the cards will compete directly with Nvidia's RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti (February launch), occupying similar performance and price segments.
Interestingly, reports suggest that RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT units have already reached retailers and reviewers, with eTeknix confirming receipt of review samples. This pre-release distribution has sparked speculation about AMD's strategic timing. The delay might be a calculated move to directly counter Nvidia's RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti releases, enabling a more focused comparison. Another theory points to pricing pressures from Nvidia as a contributing factor to the delayed official launch.
The RX 9070 series' launch communication has been notably fragmented and unclear. A June 2024 report highlighted Nvidia's dominant 88% share of the discrete GPU market, leaving AMD with a mere 12%. Facing a lack of significant competition in the mid-range and high-end consumer GPU market, AMD's strategic maneuvering with the RX 9070 series is critical to challenging Nvidia's market leadership.