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 the AMD keynote presentation, despite vendor displays on the show floor (with specifications redacted), created initial intrigue. This mystery was partially solved by David McAfee, VP & GM of Radeon Graphics and Ryzen CPUs, who announced a March 2025 release date via Twitter/X.
McAfee stated that the Radeon 9000 series is "looking great" and will have broad global availability. While the March launch is confirmed, critical details like specifications and pricing remain undisclosed. Industry speculation suggests the cards will compete directly with Nvidia's RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti (February launch), occupying similar performance and price tiers.
Adding to the intrigue, reports suggest that RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT units have already reached retailers and reviewers. eTeknix, for example, confirmed receiving review samples.
This situation has fueled speculation about AMD's motives. The delay might be a strategic response to Nvidia's RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti, allowing for direct comparison and potentially mitigating pricing pressure from Nvidia.
The RX 9070 launch messaging has been inconsistent and unclear. A June 2024 report highlighted Nvidia's dominant 88% share of the discrete GPU market, leaving AMD with a mere 12%. Facing this significant market dominance, particularly in the mid-range and high-end segments, AMD needs a successful launch to make inroads into Nvidia's territory.
