It is unclear if this is a bold strategy or a quiet surrender. Traditionally, AMD has provided a basic reference card to set a performance baseline.

This time it does not appear to have bothered. One likely reason is cost-cutting. Designing, manufacturing, and supporting a reference card is expensive, and with board partners already handling production, AMD may have decided to avoid the extra expense.

Another factor could be keeping partners happy. Board makers have long moaned about AMD’s reference models getting preferential treatment at launch, and now, with no internal competition, they have complete control.

There is also the possibility that this is a calculated marketing move. By only offering "premium" partner variants, AMD can position the RX 9070 series as high-end, even if prices quietly climb. 

Without an AMD reference model, there is no neutral, stock-clocked card for benchmark comparisons. Reviewers will have to rely on AIB models, which vary significantly in cooling, power limits, and overall performance.

This could mean better-cooled and higher-clocked GPUs from the start, but it also opens the door for overpriced and underwhelming variants. 

On the plus side, the move signals that AMD is fully trusting its board partners, but it also gives them total control over pricing and availability.

However, those hoping for a stable, reasonably priced reference card are out of luck. It is pretty likely that prices will likely trend upwards, though that has become standard in the GPU market.