We're hearing that Amazon is allegedly cancelling orders for the NVIDIA DGX Spark units. In some cases they are even banning accounts of people who order them. This is very concerning change that affects a lot of people who are trying to get hold of essential AI compute hardware in this time of extreme hardware shortage. This is disrupting the supply chain of the already scarce and highly sought after compute hardware.
Amazon cancels NVIDIA DGX Spark orders and bans accounts, disrupting AI hardware access
Nvidia DGX Spark is a small AI compute device that is a popular target for indie researchers and small groups. These changes affect not just common users but even industry big names. Like Tim Sweeney, Epic Games CEO, who stated that he had his regular orders for 2 Nvidia GPUs cancelled before delivery.
It was clearly hard for customer @nicksaraev when on October 31 Amazon cancelled his 4 orders for DGX Spark and then banned his account. What's causing all these cancellations? Well, there's no public knowledge on that. Is it a glitch that Amazon is cancelling orders or is it anti-scalper design?
This despite the high demand and low supply for AI compute hardware and the resulting friction for users that are trying to purchase it. There is no public information from Amazon explaining why they are banning accounts and cancelling orders. This is leaving many people who may have needed the hardware for their projects in the dust.
The alleged cancellation of GPU orders and banning accounts for buying compute hardware is a big hassle for AI community. Tim Sweeney and others have now become the victim of this. We don't have access to the essential tools we need. There's a lack of transparency from Amazon on why are these cancellations happening.
Is Amazon confirming these DGX Spark cancellations as a systemic anti-scalper policy or just a backend glitch affecting inventory allocation?
The article notes it is unconfirmed whether this is a glitch or designed to be anti-scalper. Tim Sweeney and @nicksaraev both faced cancellations, which suggests a deliberate policy rather than random error. It is hard to tell without an official statement.