AMD Instinct MI350P vs NVIDIA L4 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark scores between the AMD Instinct MI350P and the NVIDIA L4. The MI350P has no benchmark entries, an average score of zero, and a percentile ranking of 50. The L4, in contrast, has two recorded Geekbench results: an OpenCL score of 140,838 and a Vulkan score of 121,306, producing an average benchmark score of 131,072. This places the L4 in the 95th percentile of all GPUs in the database.

The L4's nearest rivals provide useful context for interpreting its performance. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti by 0.7 percent, with that rival averaging 131,938. The NVIDIA RTX 4000 Ada Generation and NVIDIA A10M both sit 3.1 percent ahead, averaging 135,218 and 135,230 respectively. The AMD Radeon PRO W6800 leads the L4 by 3.2 percent with an average score of 135,396. These small deltas indicate that the L4 operates in a tightly clustered performance band among established workstation and server accelerators.

For the MI350P, the absence of benchmark data means its relative standing cannot be quantified from the database. The percentile figure of 50 is a neutral midpoint, not a performance measurement. No wins are recorded for either side in the head-to-head section, as the field is empty. The data confirms that the L4 is a measured, benchmarked product, while the MI350P is not yet represented in the database with any recorded scores.

Architecture Differences

The two accelerators diverge fundamentally in architecture. The AMD Instinct MI350P uses the CDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process at TSMC, and carries the MI350 128CU chip. The NVIDIA L4 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, built around the AD104 chip. The MI350P belongs to the Instinct (MIx) generation, while the L4 is part of the Server Ada (Lxx) generation.

Transistor counts differ markedly. The MI350P integrates 73,000 million transistors on a 1190 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 61.3M per mm². The L4 contains 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, with a density of 121.8M per mm². The MI350P is more than twice the physical size and carries roughly double the transistor count, but the L4 achieves higher density due to its smaller node geometry and die area.

Memory architecture is a central differentiator. The MI350P uses 144 GB of HBM3e with an 8192-bit bus and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth. The L4 uses 24 GB of GDDR6 with a 192-bit bus and 300.1 GB/s bandwidth. The MI350P delivers more than 27 times the memory bandwidth, a decisive advantage for data movement. Clock speeds also differ: the MI350P runs at a 1000 MHz base and 2200 MHz boost, while the L4 runs at 795 MHz base and 2040 MHz boost. Memory clocks are 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) for the MI350P versus 1563 MHz (12.5 Gbps effective) for the L4.

Compute resources show a similar pattern. The MI350P has 8192 shading units, 512 TMUs, and no ROPs, resulting in a texture rate of 1,126.4 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s. The L4 has 7424 shading units, 240 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 60 ray tracing cores, and 240 tensor cores, with a texture rate of 489.6 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 163.2 GPixel/s. The MI350P doubles the texture throughput but has no pixel output capability, consistent with a pure compute accelerator. The L4 includes ray tracing and tensor core hardware, reflecting its broader feature set. Both deliver similar FP32 and FP16 throughput, with the MI350P at 36.04 TFLOPS and the L4 at 30.29 TFLOPS, a 19 percent lead for the AMD part.

FAQ

Q: Which accelerator has higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The AMD Instinct MI350P delivers 36.04 TFLOPS in FP32, while the NVIDIA L4 delivers 30.29 TFLOPS. The MI350P leads by roughly 19 percent.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The MI350P uses 144 GB of HBM3e with an 8192-bit bus and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth. The L4 uses 24 GB of GDDR6 with a 192-bit bus and 300.1 GB/s bandwidth. The MI350P provides substantially more capacity and far higher bandwidth.

Q: Does the NVIDIA L4 support ray tracing?

A: Yes. The L4 includes 60 ray tracing cores, along with 240 tensor cores. The MI350P lists no ray tracing or tensor core counts in the database.

Q: What is the thermal design power of each unit?

A: The MI350P has a TDP of 600 W and requires a 1000 W suggested power supply. The L4 has a TDP of 72 W and a 250 W suggested power supply.

Q: Which product has recorded benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA L4 has two recorded Geekbench scores: 140,838 in OpenCL and 121,306 in Vulkan, averaging 131,072. The MI350P has no recorded benchmark scores.

Q: What are the physical form factor differences?

A: The MI350P is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length, 111 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, with a 1x 16-pin power connector. The L4 is a single-slot card measuring 169 mm in length and 56 mm in height, with no power connector.

Specification Differences

| Field | AMD Instinct MI350P | NVIDIA L4 |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | CDNA 4.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Process node | 3 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 73,000 million | 35,800 million |

| Die size | 1190 mm² | 294 mm² |

| Transistor density | 61.3M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1000 MHz | 795 MHz |

| Boost clock | 2200 MHz | 2040 MHz |

| Memory clock | 2000 MHz, 8 Gbps effective | 1563 MHz, 12.5 Gbps effective |

| Memory size | 144 GB | 24 GB |

| Memory type | HBM3e | GDDR6 |

| Memory bus | 8192 bit | 192 bit |

| Memory bandwidth | 8.19 TB/s | 300.1 GB/s |

| Shading units | 8192 | 7424 |

| TMUs | 512 | 240 |

| ROPs | 0 | 80 |

| Ray tracing cores | Not listed | 60 |

| Tensor cores | Not listed | 240 |

| Pixel rate | 0 MPixel/s | 163.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 1,126.4 GTexel/s | 489.6 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 36.04 TFLOPS | 30.29 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 36.04 TFLOPS (1:1) | 30.29 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 600 W | 72 W |

| Slot width | Dual-slot | Single-slot |

| Power connectors | 1x 16-pin | None |

| Suggested PSU | 1000 W | 250 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| DirectX support | N/A | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL support | N/A | 4.6 |

| Vulkan support | N/A | 1.4 |

| Length | 267 mm (10.5 inches) | 169 mm (6.7 inches) |

| Height | 111 mm (4.4 inches) | 56 mm (2.2 inches) |

| Width | 40 mm (1.6 inches) | Not listed |

| Release date | 2026-05-06 | 2023-03-20 |

| Production status | Not listed | Active |

| Predecessor | Radeon Instinct | Server Ampere |

| Successor | Not listed | Server Hopper |

The interface differences are notable. The MI350P uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the L4 uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The L4 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI350P lists no API support. Neither unit has display outputs. The MI350P is a larger, higher-power device with a 2026 release date, while the L4 is a compact, low-power unit from 2023 that remains in active production.

The Verdict

The data describes two accelerators with very different design goals. The AMD Instinct MI350P targets high-capacity compute workloads. Its 144 GB of HBM3e memory with 8.19 TB/s bandwidth, 8192 shading units, and 36.04 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput position it for large-scale data processing. The 600 W TDP and dual-slot form factor indicate a server-class component designed for sustained heavy loads. The absence of display outputs, ROPs, and API support confirms a pure compute orientation.

The NVIDIA L4 serves a different role. Its 24 GB GDDR6 memory delivers 300.1 GB/s, sufficient for inference and moderate compute tasks, while its 72 W TDP allows deployment in dense, power-constrained environments. The inclusion of 60 ray tracing cores, 240 tensor cores, and full DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support gives it a broader feature profile. Its single-slot design, lack of power connectors, and 250 W suggested PSU make it a low-footprint option.

The benchmark data strongly favors the L4 in terms of measured performance. Its average score of 131,072 places it in the 95th percentile, competitive with the RTX 3090 Ti, RTX 4000 Ada Generation, A10M, and Radeon PRO W6800. The MI350P has no recorded scores, so its real-world performance cannot be compared directly. The MI350P does lead on raw specifications: higher clock speeds, more shading units, greater FP32 throughput, and a vastly larger memory subsystem.

Database users should select based on workload requirements. The MI350P is the appropriate choice for applications demanding massive memory capacity and bandwidth, such as large model training or high-throughput scientific computing. The L4 is the appropriate choice for measured, validated performance in a compact, low-power package, particularly where software ecosystem support, ray tracing, or tensor operations are required. The two products do not compete in the same performance class; they serve distinct deployment scenarios, and the data reflects that separation clearly.