AMD Radeon Instinct MI300 vs NVIDIA H20 NVL16 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data contains no direct head-to-head benchmark runs for these two accelerators. Neither part has an average benchmark score, and the wins columns for both entries are zero. The database shows both products sitting at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, which indicates that no comparative performance metric has been logged for either unit. Without measured scores, the analysis must draw on the specification sheet and the architecture record rather than on executed workloads.

The FP32 figures provide the first meaningful comparison. AMD Radeon Instinct MI300 delivers 47.87 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, while NVIDIA H20 NVL16 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS. The AMD part holds an advantage of roughly 21 percent in single-precision throughput on paper. That margin is substantial for workloads that rely on general-purpose FP32 math, such as certain simulation kernels and signal processing tasks.

FP16 performance flips the picture. The AMD MI300 lists 383.0 TFLOPS FP16 at an 8:1 ratio, while the NVIDIA H20 NVL16 lists 79.07 TFLOPS FP16 at a 2:1 ratio. The AMD accelerator shows a 4.84x advantage in raw FP16 throughput as recorded. However, the ratio notation matters. The AMD figure assumes an 8:1 shader-to-FP16 mapping, while the NVIDIA figure assumes a 2:1 mapping. The database presents these as the official specifications, so the comparison stands as recorded.

Memory bandwidth follows a similar pattern. The MI300 carries 6.55 TB/s of bandwidth across an 8192-bit bus, while the H20 NVL16 carries 4.03 TB/s across a 6144-bit bus. The AMD part shows a 62.5 percent bandwidth advantage, which can matter for memory-bound inference and training workloads where data movement dominates execution time.

The NVIDIA part does hold wins in clocks and pixel throughput. The H20 NVL16 runs at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 1980 MHz, while the MI300 runs at 1000 MHz base and 1700 MHz boost. The H20 also lists 47.52 GPixel/s pixel rate versus 0 MPixel/s for the MI300, though neither part has display outputs, so pixel rate has limited practical relevance for these accelerators.

Architecture Differences

The two accelerators come from different design lineages. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI300 uses the CDNA 3.0 architecture with the Aqua Vanjaram chip, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 uses the Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip, also on a 5 nm process at TSMC. Both use the same foundry and the same process node, so the manufacturing base is identical.

Transistor counts differ sharply. The MI300 packs 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 150.4 million per mm². The H20 uses 80,000 million transistors on an 814 mm² die, for a density of 98.3 million per mm². The AMD chip carries nearly twice the transistor count and a higher density, which is consistent with its larger memory bus and higher compute throughput.

Memory configurations diverge in capacity and width. The MI300 has 128 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus. The H20 has 96 GB of HBM3 on a 6144-bit bus. Both use HBM3, but the AMD part provides more capacity and a wider interface. The bandwidth figures follow directly: 6.55 TB/s for the MI300 versus 4.03 TB/s for the H20.

Compute resources also differ. The MI300 has 14,080 shading units and 880 texture mapping units. The H20 has 9,984 shading units, 312 TMUs, and 312 tensor cores. The MI300 lists no tensor core count in the database, while the H20 explicitly includes tensor cores as part of its architecture. The MI300 lists 0 ROPs, while the H20 lists 24 ROPs. Texture rate favors AMD at 1,496.0 GTexel/s versus 617.8 GTexel/s for NVIDIA.

Power and physical design separate the two further. The MI300 draws 600 W with a suggested PSU of 1000 W and uses 2x 8-pin power connectors. The H20 draws 400 W with a suggested PSU of 800 W and uses an SXM module form factor. The MI300 is a PCIe card measuring 267 mm in length and 111 mm in height, while the H20 has no recorded dimensions because it is an SXM module rather than a slot card. Both use PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interfaces.

Release timing places these products years apart. The MI300 launched on 2023-01-03, while the H20 has a recorded release date of 2025-09-01. The NVIDIA part is marked as Active in production status, with a predecessor of Server Ada and a successor of Server Blackwell. The AMD part lists FirePro Data Center as its predecessor and has no recorded successor.

The Verdict

The data points to the AMD Radeon Instinct MI300 for compute-heavy workloads that demand FP32 throughput, FP16 throughput, memory capacity, and memory bandwidth. Its 47.87 TFLOPS FP32 and 383.0 TFLOPS FP16 figures exceed the H20's 39.54 TFLOPS and 79.07 TFLOPS respectively. The 128 GB memory capacity and 6.55 TB/s bandwidth give it a clear edge for large models that need to stay resident in memory.

The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 appeals when power draw and clock speed matter more than raw throughput. It draws 400 W versus 600 W, runs at a higher base clock of 1830 MHz and boost clock of 1980 MHz, and comes in an SXM module form factor for dense server integration. Its tensor core count of 312 is explicitly recorded, while the MI300 has no tensor core field in the database, which may matter for users who specifically require NVIDIA's tensor core pipeline.

Neither part has benchmark scores or a head-to-head result in the database. The percentile values are identical at 50, and the wins counts are zero for both. The verdict therefore rests on specification comparison. For pure compute density and memory throughput, the MI300 shows the stronger record. For lower power consumption and higher clock operation, the H20 shows the stronger record. The H20 also has the advantage of active production status and a clearly defined successor path, while the MI300 lists no successor.

FAQ

Q: Which accelerator has higher FP32 compute?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI300 delivers 47.87 TFLOPS FP32, while the NVIDIA H20 NVL16 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS FP32. The MI300 holds an advantage of roughly 21 percent.

Q: How do the memory configurations compare?

A: The MI300 has 128 GB of HBM3 on an 8192-bit bus with 6.55 TB/s bandwidth. The H20 has 96 GB of HBM3 on a 6144-bit bus with 4.03 TB/s bandwidth.

Q: What are the power requirements for each?

A: The MI300 draws 600 W and requires a suggested 1000 W PSU. The H20 draws 400 W and requires a suggested 800 W PSU.

Q: Do both parts use the same manufacturing process?

A: Yes, both are built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The MI300 uses the Aqua Vanjaram chip with CDNA 3.0 architecture, while the H20 uses the GH100 chip with Hopper architecture.

Q: What form factor does each accelerator use?

A: The MI300 is a PCIe card measuring 267 mm by 111 mm with 2x 8-pin power connectors. The H20 is an SXM module with no recorded dimensions and no power connector field.

Q: Which part has tensor cores?

A: The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 lists 312 tensor cores. The AMD MI300 has no tensor core count recorded in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI300 wins on raw compute throughput. Its FP32 figure of 47.87 TFLOPS exceeds the H20's 39.54 TFLOPS. Its FP16 figure of 383.0 TFLOPS dwarfs the H20's 79.07 TFLOPS. Texture rate also favors AMD at 1,496.0 GTexel/s versus 617.8 GTexel/s. The 128 GB memory capacity, 8192-bit bus, and 6.55 TB/s bandwidth make it the stronger choice for memory-hungry workloads. The 153,000 million transistor count and 1017 mm² die size indicate a larger, more complex part.

The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 wins on power efficiency and clock operation. It draws 400 W versus 600 W, which means lower power delivery and cooling requirements. Its base clock of 1830 MHz and boost clock of 1980 MHz are substantially higher than the MI300's 1000 MHz base and 1700 MHz boost. The SXM module form factor suits dense multi-accelerator server configurations where slot cards may not fit. The 312 tensor cores provide a dedicated tensor processing path that the MI300 does not explicitly list. The H20 also has a recorded production status of Active and a defined successor in Server Blackwell, while the MI300 has no successor recorded.

The 47.52 GPixel/s pixel rate on the H20 is technically a win, but neither part has display outputs, so this metric has little practical value for either accelerator.

Specification Differences

The two accelerators differ across nearly every recorded specification field.

The MI300 uses CDNA 3.0 architecture with the Aqua Vanjaram chip. The H20 uses Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip. Both are 5 nm TSMC parts, but the MI300 has 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, while the H20 has 80,000 million transistors on an 814 mm² die. Transistor density is 150.4M per mm² for the MI300 and 98.3M per mm² for the H20.

Clocks differ notably. The MI300 runs at 1000 MHz base and 1700 MHz boost. The H20 runs at 1830 MHz base and 1980 MHz boost. Memory clocks also differ: the MI300 lists 1600 MHz with 6.4 Gbps effective, while the H20 lists 1313 MHz with 5.3 Gbps effective.

Memory capacity is 128 GB for the MI300 and 96 GB for the H20, both HBM3. Bus widths are 8192 bit and 6144 bit respectively. Bandwidth is 6.55 TB/s versus 4.03 TB/s.

Shader resources show the MI300 with 14,080 shading units and 880 TMUs, versus 9,984 shading units and 312 TMUs for the H20. The H20 has 312 tensor cores and 24 ROPs; the MI300 has no tensor core field and 0 ROPs. Pixel rate is 0 MPixel/s for the MI300 and 47.52 GPixel/s for the H20. Texture rate is 1,496.0 GTexel/s versus 617.8 GTexel/s.

Power draw is 600 W for the MI300 with a suggested 1000 W PSU, versus 400 W for the H20 with a suggested 800 W PSU. The MI300 uses 2x 8-pin power connectors and a PCIe form factor of 267 mm by 111 mm. The H20 uses an SXM module with no recorded dimensions.

The MI300 launched on 2023-01-03 with a predecessor of FirePro Data Center and no successor. The H20 has a release date of 2025-09-01, a predecessor of Server Ada, a successor of Server Blackwell, and an Active production status. Both use PCIe 5.0 x16 and have no display outputs. Neither part has a recorded launch MSRP or API support fields with meaningful values.