AMD Instinct MI300X vs NVIDIA N1 20SM Comparison

The Verdict

The database presents a stark contrast between these two processors. The AMD Instinct MI300X is a dedicated accelerator with a recorded Geekbench OpenCL score of 317,994, placing it in the 100th percentile of all GPUs. The NVIDIA N1 20SM is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no recorded benchmark scores, placing it in the 50th percentile by default. The MI300X is for compute environments where maximum throughput is the sole priority. The N1 20SM is for integrated systems where the graphics processor is secondary to the main processor. There is no meaningful overlap in their intended use cases based on the data.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Instinct MI300X uses the CDNA 3.0 architecture on the Aqua Vanjaram chip, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 150.4 million transistors per mm². The NVIDIA N1 20SM uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture on the GB20B chip, also built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but with a 382 mm² die size and an unknown transistor count. The MI300X is a discrete OAM module with no display outputs, while the N1 20SM is an IGP with one HDMI output. Both use a PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface. The MI300X has no API support for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, and the N1 20SM also lists N/A for all three APIs, indicating neither is designed for standard graphics workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which processor has the higher raw compute performance?

A: The AMD Instinct MI300X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS FP32 and 81.72 TFLOPS FP16 (1:1), compared to the NVIDIA N1 20SM's 12.01 TFLOPS in both FP32 and FP16 (1:1).

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The MI300X has 192 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus with 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The N1 20SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: What is the difference in shading units?

A: The MI300X has 19,456 shading units, while the N1 20SM has 2,560 shading units.

Q: Does the N1 20SM have any features the MI300X lacks?

A: Yes. The N1 20SM includes 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, while the MI300X lists no RT cores or tensor cores. The N1 20SM also has 24 ROPs and a pixel rate of 56.30 GPixel/s, whereas the MI300X has 0 ROPs and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The MI300X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 2100 MHz. The N1 20SM has a base clock of 741 MHz and a higher boost clock of 2346 MHz.

Q: Which processor has a higher transistor density?

A: The MI300X has a transistor density of 150.4 million transistors per mm², while the N1 20SM has no recorded transistor density due to its unknown transistor count.

Specification Differences

The AMD Instinct MI300X and NVIDIA N1 20SM differ in nearly every core specification. The MI300X uses HBM3 memory with 192 GB capacity, an 8192-bit bus, and 5.32 TB/s bandwidth. The N1 20SM uses LPDDR5X with 128 GB capacity, a 256-bit bus, and 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The MI300X has 19,456 shading units, 1,216 TMUs, and 0 ROPs, while the N1 20SM has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The MI300X achieves a texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s and an FP32 throughput of 81.72 TFLOPS, against the N1 20SM's 375.4 GTexel/s and 12.01 TFLOPS. The MI300X has a base clock of 1000 MHz and boost of 2100 MHz, while the N1 20SM has a lower 741 MHz base but a higher 2346 MHz boost. The MI300X has a TDP of 750 W and no power connectors as an OAM module, while the N1 20SM has an unknown TDP and uses no power connectors as an IGP. The MI300X has no display outputs, whereas the N1 20SM has one HDMI output. The MI300X was released on December 5, 2023, while the N1 20SM is slated for May 31, 2026, and is listed as the only one with an Active production status.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

There are no direct head-to-head benchmark entries in the database, so the comparison relies on the MI300X's recorded Geekbench OpenCL score and the N1 20SM's absence of any score. The MI300X scores 317,994, which places it 5% behind the NVIDIA H200 NVL's 334,891, 8% behind the NVIDIA B200's 345,482, 7.5% ahead of the NVIDIA L40S's 295,763, and 10.7% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation's 287,237. The N1 20SM has no nearest rivals and no benchmark average, making direct numerical comparison impossible. The MI300X's 317,994 score is the only measured data point, and it represents the 100th percentile of all GPUs, versus the N1 20SM's 50th percentile baseline with zero recorded performance.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Instinct MI300X wins decisively in every measurable compute category. Its FP32 throughput of 81.72 TFLOPS is nearly seven times the N1 20SM's 12.01 TFLOPS. Its memory bandwidth of 5.32 TB/s is over nineteen times the N1 20SM's 273.2 GB/s. Its 192 GB memory capacity is 50% larger than the N1 20SM's 128 GB. Its texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s is nearly seven times the N1 20SM's 375.4 GTexel/s. The MI300X also carries far more shading units (19,456 versus 2,560) and TMUs (1,216 versus 160). The only categories where the N1 20SM shows an advantage are in features absent from the MI300X: it has 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores, a 56.30 GPixel/s pixel rate, a higher boost clock of 2346 MHz versus 2100 MHz, and a display output. The N1 20SM also has a smaller die (382 mm² versus 1017 mm²) and an Active production status, while the MI300X has no production status listed. For pure compute density, the MI300X is the clear choice. For an integrated processor with graphics output and hardware ray tracing support, the N1 20SM is the only one of the two that offers those capabilities.