AMD Instinct MI355X vs NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains a single benchmark result for the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where it scored 16,408 points. The AMD Instinct MI355X has no benchmark scores in the database, and there are no head-to-head benchmark entries comparing the two directly. This absence of comparative data means that any direct numerical comparison between the two accelerators must rely on their published specifications rather than measured performance results.

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell's single benchmark score places it at the 59th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the AMD Instinct MI355X sits at the 50th percentile with an average benchmark score of zero. The nearest rivals to the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell provide context for its performance: the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 scores 16,415 points, essentially identical with a delta of 0 percent, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT scores 16,361 points (0.3 percent behind) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 16,351 points (0.4 percent behind). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 scores 16,504 points, putting it 0.6 percent ahead of the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell.

The benchmark data indicates that the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell performs within a narrow band of about one percent of these rivals, which suggests that in this particular DX12 workload, the card delivers performance consistent with a broad mid-range cluster of GPUs. The AMD Instinct MI355X, having no recorded benchmark results, cannot be placed within this comparative framework, so its relative standing remains undefined by measurement.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Instinct MI355X demonstrates wins in several specification categories that are critical for compute-intensive workloads. Its memory configuration is substantially larger at 288 GB of HBM3e, compared to the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell's 96 GB of GDDR7. The memory bandwidth difference is stark: the MI355X delivers 8.19 TB/s against the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell's 1.79 TB/s, a 4.6-fold advantage. The MI355X also has a wider memory bus at 8192 bits versus 512 bits, and its texture rate reaches 2,457.6 GTexel/s compared to 1,968.0 GTexel/s for the NVIDIA card, an advantage of roughly 25 percent.

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell wins in raw shading throughput. Its FP32 performance is 126.0 TFLOPS, which exceeds the MI355X's 78.64 TFLOPS by 60 percent. The NVIDIA card also has more shading units at 24,064 versus 16,384, and it includes 752 tensor cores and 188 RT cores, features that the MI355X does not list at all. The pixel rate for the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is 502.5 GPixel/s, while the MI355X records 0 MPixel/s, reflecting the AMD card's lack of display outputs and rasterization hardware. The NVIDIA card also has 192 ROPs, while the MI355X has zero, confirming that the AMD accelerator omits traditional graphics pipeline stages entirely.

In terms of thermal design, the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell requires 600 W with a suggested PSU of 1000 W, while the MI355X draws 1400 W with a suggested PSU of 1800 W. The NVIDIA card is a dual-slot form factor with a 16-pin power connector and four DisplayPort 2.1b outputs, whereas the MI355X is an OAM module with no power connectors and no display outputs. The MI355X's advantage in memory capacity and bandwidth positions it for large model inference and data-heavy workloads, while the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell's advantage in FP32 and graphics features positions it for rendering and compute tasks that require a full graphics pipeline.

Architecture Differences

The two accelerators are built on fundamentally different architectures. The AMD Instinct MI355X uses CDNA 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process at TSMC, while the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell uses Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm process, also at TSMC. The AMD chip, designated MI350 256CU, contains 185,000 million transistors on a die size of 2380 mm², yielding a transistor density of 77.7 million per mm². The NVIDIA chip, designated GB202, contains 92,200 million transistors on a much smaller die of 750 mm², yielding a higher transistor density of 122.9 million per mm². The NVIDIA die achieves this density despite the older process node, indicating a more compact design.

The MI355X's transistor count is double that of the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell, but its die area is more than three times larger, which explains the lower density. The AMD accelerator's clock speeds are lower: base clock of 1000 MHz versus 1590 MHz for NVIDIA, and boost clock of 2400 MHz versus 2617 MHz. The memory clocks differ as well, with the MI355X running at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) and the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The effective memory speed is higher on the NVIDIA card, but the AMD card compensates with a vastly wider bus and more memory.

The feature sets diverge sharply. The MI355X has no RT cores, no tensor cores listed, and no API support (DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan are all marked N/A). The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell includes 188 RT cores, 752 tensor cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 support. The AMD card also has no ROPs, reinforcing its role as a pure compute accelerator, while the NVIDIA card has 192 ROPs and a full display output suite. The MI355X belongs to the Instinct (MIx) generation with a predecessor of Radeon Instinct, while the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell belongs to the Blackwell PRO W (x000) generation with a predecessor of Workstation Ada. The release dates differ by about three months, with the NVIDIA card launching on March 17, 2025, and the AMD card on June 11, 2025.

FAQ

Q: Which card has more memory and bandwidth?

A: The AMD Instinct MI355X has 288 GB of HBM3e memory with 8.19 TB/s bandwidth on a 8192-bit bus. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell has 96 GB of GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth on a 512-bit bus.

Q: Which card has higher FP32 performance?

A: The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell delivers 126.0 TFLOPS FP32, which is 60 percent higher than the AMD Instinct MI355X's 78.64 TFLOPS.

Q: Does the AMD card support graphics APIs?

A: No. The AMD Instinct MI355X lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan all as N/A, and it has no display outputs. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, with four DisplayPort 2.1b outputs.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The AMD Instinct MI355X has a TDP of 1400 W and a suggested PSU of 1800 W. The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell has a TDP of 600 W and a suggested PSU of 1000 W.

Q: How does the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell benchmark against its nearest rivals?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell scores 16,408 points, which is essentially tied with the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (16,415 points, 0 percent delta) and 0.3 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. It is 0.6 percent behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2.

Q: What are the transistor counts and die sizes?

A: The AMD Instinct MI355X has 185,000 million transistors on a 2380 mm² die with a density of 77.7 million per mm². The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell has 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die with a density of 122.9 million per mm².

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Instinct MI355X | NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell |

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

| Architecture | CDNA 4.0 | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Process Node | 3 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 185,000 million | 92,200 million |

| Die Size | 2380 mm² | 750 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 77.7M / mm² | 122.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 1590 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2400 MHz | 2617 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective) | 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 288 GB | 96 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM3e | GDDR7 |

| Memory Bus Width | 8192 bit | 512 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 8.19 TB/s | 1.79 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 16384 | 24064 |

| TMUs | 1024 | 752 |

| ROPs | 0 | 192 |

| RT Cores | None | 188 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 752 |

| Pixel Rate | 0 MPixel/s | 502.5 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 2,457.6 GTexel/s | 1,968.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 78.64 TFLOPS | 126.0 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 78.64 TFLOPS (1:1) | 126.0 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 1400 W | 600 W |

| Slot Width | OAM Module | Dual-slot |

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

| Suggested PSU | 1800 W | 1000 W |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 4x DisplayPort 2.1b |

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

| OpenGL | N/A | 4.6 |

| Vulkan | N/A | 1.4 |

| Dimensions (L/W/H) | 102 mm x 165 mm | 304 mm x 40 mm x 137 mm |

| Release Date | 2025-06-11 | 2025-03-17 |

| Production Status | Not specified | Active |

| Launch MSRP | None | 8,565 USD |

The Verdict

The data indicates a clear division of purpose between these two accelerators. The AMD Instinct MI355X is designed for memory-bound compute workloads where capacity and bandwidth dominate. Its 288 GB of HBM3e and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth, combined with a 8192-bit bus, provide a scale of memory resources that the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell cannot match. The MI355X's 50th percentile standing and absence of benchmark results suggest that its evaluation in the database focuses on its specification profile rather than measured graphics performance, which aligns with its lack of display outputs, graphics APIs, and rasterization hardware.

The NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is a graphics-capable workstation card that delivers measurable DX12 performance, as shown by its 16,408 score in 3DMark Steel Nomad and its 59th percentile position. Its 126.0 TFLOPS FP32, 188 RT cores, 752 tensor cores, and full API support make it suitable for rendering, visualization, and compute tasks that require a complete graphics pipeline. The 8,565 USD launch MSRP positions it as a professional workstation product, while the AMD card has no listed launch MSRP.

The choice between the two depends on workload characteristics. For large-scale memory-intensive compute, such as training or inference with very large models, the MI355X's 288 GB capacity and 8.19 TB/s bandwidth provide a decisive advantage. For graphics-heavy tasks that require rasterization, ray tracing, and display output, the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell is the only viable option among the two, given that the MI355X offers no graphics functionality at all. The RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell also fits into a standard dual-slot PCIe form factor with a 16-pin connector, whereas the MI355X uses an OAM module with no power connectors, implying a different system integration path.

The power requirements reinforce the divergence: the MI355X draws 1400 W with an 1800 W suggested PSU, while the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell draws 600 W with a 1000 W suggested PSU. The MI355X's higher power draw is consistent with its larger memory subsystem and OAM form factor, while the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell's lower power draw suits a workstation environment. The release timeline shows the NVIDIA card arrived first on March 17, 2025, followed by the AMD card on June 11, 2025, which may reflect different development cycles for the two architectures.

The benchmark data for the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell places it in a tight cluster with several AMD and NVIDIA products, all within 0.6 percent of each other in the Steel Nomad test. This suggests that the card's measured performance is competitive within its immediate peer group, though the absence of MI355X benchmark data prevents any direct performance comparison. The database records no head-to-head wins for either card, leaving the specification comparison as the primary basis for differentiation. The verdict follows the architecture: the MI355X for memory-bound compute, the RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell for graphics-capable workstation workloads.