Reports from the Chinese forum Boardchannels suggest that AMD may be favoring specific partner manufacturers (AIBs) in the distribution of RDNA 4 GPUs. This alleged preference would allow certain brands to produce more Radeon RX 9070 units than others.
According to the report, AMD has divided its RDNA 4 GPU distribution into two tiers. The first group consists of “Core” brands—key partners receiving a larger share of chips—while the second group, composed of other manufacturers, claims to be receiving fewer units.
If true, this strategy could impact availability and pricing, potentially giving select brands an advantage in the RDNA 4 market. However, AMD has yet to officially comment on these claims.
AMD Allegedly Favoring Select Brands in RDNA 4 GPU Distribution
According to reports from Board channels, AMD is prioritizing certain partner manufacturers for RDNA 4 GPU distribution, favoring brands like Asus, XFX, PowerColor, Sapphire, and Vastarm, which receive large shipments of Radeon RX 9070 GPUs. Meanwhile, Acer, Yeston, Gigabyte, and ASRock seem to be receiving fewer units.
It’s particularly surprising to see Gigabyte and ASRock in the lower-priority group. Gigabyte is one of the biggest players in the GPU market, while ASRock has been a long-time Radeon-exclusive partner—though it recently started producing Intel Arc GPUs.
The source of the rumor also mentions that while Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT sales are strong, inventory shortages are affecting various regions. This situation mirrors the launch of the GeForce RTX 50 series, though Radeon’s stock issues appear to be less severe. In some cases, scarcity has even led to price increases.
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