AMD's Radeon 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 is "looking great" and will have widespread global availability. While the March launch is confirmed, crucial details like specifications and pricing remain undisclosed. Industry speculation suggests the RX 9070 series will compete directly with Nvidia's RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti (February launch), occupying similar performance and price segments.
Adding to the mystery, reports indicate 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 strategy. Some believe the delayed official launch aims to counter Nvidia's RTX 5070/5070 Ti, allowing for direct comparison and potentially mitigating pricing pressure from Nvidia.
The current market landscape, according to a June 2024 report, shows Nvidia dominating the discrete GPU market with an 88% share, leaving AMD with a mere 12%. This dominance highlights the significant challenge AMD faces in the mid-range and high-end consumer graphics card market. The RX 9070 series launch, marked by a lack of detailed information and a somewhat confusing rollout, underscores the pressure on AMD to effectively challenge Nvidia's market leadership.
