At CES 2025, Nvidia announced GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards, a compact Linux desktop called Project DIGITS for local AI development, and new AI platforms aimed at vehicles and robots. The announcements extended Nvidia’s AI strategy beyond data-center hardware into gaming PCs, developers’ desks and physical-world systems.
What Nvidia unveiled at CES 2025
In a January 7, 2025 report from CES in Las Vegas, Bloomberg News described a keynote by CEO Jensen Huang featuring new GeForce GPUs, AI tools and services, and a desktop computer. The announcements connect several markets: gamers get new graphics cards, developers get a local AI machine, and Nvidia’s automotive and robotics work uses AI models and simulation.
The GeForce RTX 50-series uses Nvidia’s Blackwell design, also used in the company’s AI accelerators. Nvidia said AI would help predict the next image frame in games, with the aim of improving visual realism. Huang framed the shift this way: “GeForce allowed AI to reach the masses, and now AI is coming home to GeForce.”
RTX 5090 and RTX 5070: announced prices and timing
| Product | Intended user | Announced price | Announced availability | What the announcement establishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce RTX 5090 | Gamers and graphics users | $1,999 | Later in January 2025 | Blackwell-based GeForce graphics card; Nvidia said AI would help predict game frames. |
| GeForce RTX 5070 | Gamers and graphics users | $549 | February 2025 | A second announced RTX 50-series card. |
| Project DIGITS | AI developers | Approximately $3,000 | Not stated in Bloomberg’s January 7, 2025 report | Compact Linux desktop built around one Grace Blackwell Superchip for local AI development. |
The RTX figures are Nvidia’s announced prices, not a statement of current retail price or stock. The report does not provide independent benchmark results, detailed gaming performance, or comparable memory specifications for the graphics cards, so the announcement alone cannot establish how much faster either card is than another GPU.
#1 Best Overall
- AI Performance: 767 AI TOPS
- OC mode: 2632 MHz (OC mode)/ 2602 MHz (Default mode)
- Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4
- Axial-tech fan design features a smaller fan hub that facilitates longer blades and a barrier ring that increases downward air pressure
- A 2.5-slot design maximizes compatibility and cooling efficiency for superior performance in small chassis
What Project DIGITS is—and who it is for
Project DIGITS is a small desktop computer Nvidia described at an approximate $3,000 price. Made with MediaTek, it contains one Grace Blackwell Superchip, substantial memory and high-speed connectivity. Nvidia positioned it as a Linux system for developers who want to build and run very large AI models locally.
The practical distinction is its target workload, not simply its size. A developer whose laptop cannot handle a large model, or who cannot reasonably depend on cloud access, may value having a local development system. The announcement does not supply a specific memory capacity, model-size limit, or independent performance test, so it does not justify a precise claim about which models DIGITS can run or how quickly.
Rank #2
- NVIDIA Ampere Streaming Multiprocessors: The all-new Ampere SM brings 2X the FP32 throughput and improved power efficiency.
- 2nd Generation RT Cores: Experience 2X the throughput of 1st gen RT Cores, plus concurrent RT and shading for a whole new level of ray-tracing performance.
- 3rd Generation Tensor Cores: Get up to 2X the throughput with structural sparsity and advanced AI algorithms such as DLSS. These cores deliver a massive boost in game performance and all-new AI capabilities.
- Axial-tech fan design features a smaller fan hub that facilitates longer blades and a barrier ring that increases downward air pressure.
- OC Mode : 1500 MHz (Boost Clock)/Default Mode : 1470 MHz (Boost Clock)
Project DIGITS versus a GeForce gaming PC
| Factor | Project DIGITS | GeForce RTX 50-series card |
|---|---|---|
| Intended user | AI developers | Gamers and graphics users |
| Purpose | Local AI development and execution | Gaming and graphics, with AI-assisted frame prediction described by Nvidia |
| Core hardware described | One Grace Blackwell Superchip; substantial memory and high-speed connectivity | Blackwell-based GeForce GPU; detailed memory specifications are not stated in the report |
| Operating system | Linux | Not stated in the report; it is a graphics card rather than a complete computer |
| Announced price | Approximately $3,000 | RTX 5090: $1,999; RTX 5070: $549 |
| Timing | Not stated in the report | RTX 5090 later in January 2025; RTX 5070 in February 2025 |
| Everyday computer or specialist system? | Specialist developer desktop | A GPU intended for installation in a compatible PC |
These are different kinds of products, not direct alternatives: Project DIGITS is a complete developer desktop, while an RTX card is a component for a PC. The published announcement does not provide enough matched performance data to compare their AI throughput or memory capacity.
How Nvidia is extending AI beyond data centers
Nvidia’s CES announcements also connected its software and chips to autonomous vehicles and robotics. The company said Toyota would use its Drive chips and software for autonomous driving, and described work with Uber on self-driving technology. Those references indicate partnerships and development work; they do not, by themselves, establish a launch date or broad commercial deployment.
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Rank #3
- Powered by the NVIDIA Blackwell architecture and DLSS 4
- Powered by GeForce RTX 5070 Ti
- Integrated with 16GB GDDR7 256bit memory interface
- PCIe 5.0
- WINDFORCE cooling system
Cosmos: simulated events for training physical AI
Nvidia introduced Cosmos, a platform that can generate video from text and other inputs. The stated purpose is to help train robots and autonomous vehicles with repeatable simulated events, including rare road emergencies. Simulation can expose systems to scenarios that are difficult to collect consistently in the real world; the announcement describes the intended use, not a measured safety outcome.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the announcements say about Nvidia’s AI strategy
The CES lineup shows Nvidia applying its AI technology across products with different users and settings: data centers for large-scale computing, GeForce cards for consumer PCs, Project DIGITS for developer workstations, and Drive and Cosmos-related efforts for vehicles and robots. Bloomberg’s report said Nvidia projected more than $100 billion in contribution from its data-center operation in the current year, underscoring that the new personal-computing and physical-AI initiatives complemented its major data-center business rather than replacing it.
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