MSI just canceled plans to make graphics cards with AMD's new RDNA 4 chips and flat-out skipped the entire RX 9000 series lineup. When asked about this decision, an MSI representative told Tom's Hardware simply that the company "is not manufacturing AMD GPUs this generation." They left open the possibility of working with AMD again someday.
The numbers tell a clear story. MSI created 45 different AMD card models during the RX 6000 series. Then MSI drastically cut back to just four designs for the RX 7000 cards - that's a huge 91% drop. Even worse, those few RX 7000 cards just recycled cooling systems from older products, showing MSI spent way less effort compared to their NVIDIA cards.
Several things pushed MSI away from AMD. According to Steam hardware surveys, NVIDIA controls 83% of the market, making those cards much more profitable. When EVGA quit making graphics cards back in 2022, MSI saw a chance to become an even bigger NVIDIA partner. Price problems also played a part—AMD reportedly took extra time finalizing costs for the RX 9000 series, which messed up production planning.
MSI backing out creates room for companies like Acer to grab more AMD business. Acer has slowly built up its AMD graphics card offerings lately. But MSI walking away might upset loyal AMD fans, especially with strong interest expected for the RX 9070 series. We don't know if MSI plans to stay away permanently or just for this round. AMD wants to jump back into premium GPU territory with its UDNA generation. Once card makers pause these partnerships, starting them up again becomes really challenging.
The numbers tell a clear story. MSI created 45 different AMD card models during the RX 6000 series. Then MSI drastically cut back to just four designs for the RX 7000 cards - that's a huge 91% drop. Even worse, those few RX 7000 cards just recycled cooling systems from older products, showing MSI spent way less effort compared to their NVIDIA cards.
Several things pushed MSI away from AMD. According to Steam hardware surveys, NVIDIA controls 83% of the market, making those cards much more profitable. When EVGA quit making graphics cards back in 2022, MSI saw a chance to become an even bigger NVIDIA partner. Price problems also played a part—AMD reportedly took extra time finalizing costs for the RX 9000 series, which messed up production planning.
MSI backing out creates room for companies like Acer to grab more AMD business. Acer has slowly built up its AMD graphics card offerings lately. But MSI walking away might upset loyal AMD fans, especially with strong interest expected for the RX 9070 series. We don't know if MSI plans to stay away permanently or just for this round. AMD wants to jump back into premium GPU territory with its UDNA generation. Once card makers pause these partnerships, starting them up again becomes really challenging.
