AMD Radeon Instinct MI300A vs Intel Arc A380E Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI300A and Intel Arc A380E occupy entirely different segments of the GPU landscape, and the benchmark data reflects that separation clearly. The MI300A is a data center compute accelerator with no display outputs, built for massive parallel workloads, while the A380E is a compact, single-slot graphics card with four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The MI300A wins in raw compute throughput, memory capacity, and bandwidth by overwhelming margins. The A380E wins in power efficiency, physical footprint, and feature support for graphics workloads, including ray tracing and modern API compatibility.

The recorded data shows the MI300A delivers 81.72 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus 4.096 TFLOPS for the A380E, a 20x advantage. In FP16, the MI300A reaches 653.7 TFLOPS (8:1) against the A380E's 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1), an 80x gap. The MI300A also carries 192 GB of HBM3 memory with 10.3 TB/s of bandwidth, compared to 6 GB of GDDR6 at 186.0 GB/s on the A380E. These are not competing products; they are purpose-built for different roles. The MI300A targets training, inference, and scientific simulation, while the A380E handles desktop rendering, media output, and light compute tasks.

Where the A380E wins is in its suitability for conventional graphics workloads. It has 8 ray tracing cores, 32 ROPs, and a 64.00 GPixel/s pixel rate, whereas the MI300A has 0 MPixel/s pixel rate and no RT core count listed. The A380E supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, while the MI300A has no API support recorded. The A380E's 75 W TDP and 250 W suggested PSU stand against the MI300A's 750 W TDP and 1150 W suggested PSU. The A380E fits in a single PCIe 4.0 x8 slot and measures 254 mm by 127 mm by 20 mm, while the MI300A uses an OAM Module form factor with no standard slot width.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs share a foundry but diverge in nearly every architectural choice. Both use TSMC fabrication, but the MI300A is built on a 5 nm process while the A380E uses 6 nm. The MI300A's chip, codenamed Aqua Vanjaram, contains 153,000 million transistors on a 1017 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 150.4M per mm². The A380E's DG2-128 chip has 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die, with a density of 45.9M per mm². The MI300A packs more than 20 times the transistor count and over six times the die area.

The MI300A uses the CDNA 3.0 architecture, designed for data center compute without any display or graphics pipeline. It has 19,456 shading units, 1,216 texture mapping units, and no ROPs. The A380E uses Xe-HPG architecture from Intel's Alchemist generation (Arc 3), with 1,024 shading units, 64 TMUs, 32 ROPs, and 8 RT cores. The MI300A's memory subsystem uses HBM3 across an 8192-bit bus, while the A380E uses GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus. Clock behavior also differs: the MI300A has a base clock of 1000 MHz and boost of 2100 MHz, while the A380E runs at a flat 2000 MHz for both base and boost. The MI300A's memory runs at 2525 MHz (10.1 Gbps effective), while the A380E's memory runs at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective).

The MI300A's texture rate reaches 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 128.0 GTexel/s on the A380E. The MI300A supports PCIe 5.0 x16, while the A380E uses PCIe 4.0 x8. The MI300A has no display outputs and no power connectors, relying on the OAM Module interface for power delivery. The A380E also has no power connectors, drawing power through its PCIe slot, and provides four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. The MI300A was released on December 5, 2023, while the A380E followed on March 31, 2024. The A380E is marked as end-of-life production status with a successor named Battlemage, while the MI300A's predecessor is FirePro Data Center.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI300A delivers 81.72 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is 20 times the 4.096 TFLOPS of the Intel Arc A380E.

Q: How do the memory capacities compare?

A: The MI300A includes 192 GB of HBM3 memory, while the A380E has 6 GB of GDDR6. The MI300A's memory bandwidth is 10.3 TB/s versus 186.0 GB/s on the A380E.

Q: Does the MI300A support ray tracing or display outputs?

A: No. The MI300A has no recorded RT core count, no display outputs, and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s. The A380E has 8 RT cores, 4x DisplayPort 2.0 outputs, and a 64.00 GPixel/s pixel rate.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The MI300A has a 750 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 1150 W. The A380E has a 75 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 250 W.

Q: Which GPU supports modern graphics APIs?

A: The A380E supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The MI300A has no API support listed in the database.

Q: What are the physical dimensions of each card?

A: The A380E measures 254 mm in length, 127 mm in height, and 20 mm in width, occupying a single slot. The MI300A uses an OAM Module form factor with no standard length, height, or width recorded.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon Instinct MI300A | Intel Arc A380E |

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

| Architecture | CDNA 3.0 | Xe-HPG |

| Generation | Radeon Instinct (MIx) | Alchemist (Arc 3) |

| Process Node | 5 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 153,000 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 1017 mm² | 157 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 150.4M / mm² | 45.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1000 MHz | 2000 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2100 MHz | 2000 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2525 MHz, 10.1 Gbps effective | 1937 MHz, 15.5 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 192 GB | 6 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM3 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Bus Width | 8192 bit | 96 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 10.3 TB/s | 186.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 19,456 | 1,024 |

| TMUs | 1,216 | 64 |

| ROPs | 0 | 32 |

| RT Cores | Not listed | 8 |

| Pixel Rate | 0 MPixel/s | 64.00 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 2,553.6 GTexel/s | 128.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 81.72 TFLOPS | 4.096 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 653.7 TFLOPS (8:1) | 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 750 W | 75 W |

| Slot Width | OAM Module | Single-slot |

| Suggested PSU | 1150 W | 250 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Display Outputs | No outputs | 4x DisplayPort 2.0 |

| DirectX Support | Not listed | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| OpenGL Support | Not listed | 4.6 |

| Vulkan Support | Not listed | 1.4 |

| Release Date | 2023-12-05 | 2024-03-31 |

| Production Status | Not listed | End-of-life |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark scores for these two GPUs, and neither has recorded benchmark results or nearest rivals. The comparison therefore relies on the architectural and specification data available. The most decisive advantage for the MI300A is in FP32 compute, where 81.72 TFLOPS dwarfs the A380E's 4.096 TFLOPS. In FP16, the MI300A's 653.7 TFLOPS (8:1) is 80 times the A380E's 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1). Memory bandwidth shows a similar pattern: 10.3 TB/s versus 186.0 GB/s, a factor of 55. The MI300A's texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s exceeds the A380E's 128.0 GTexel/s by 20 times.

The A380E counters with capabilities the MI300A lacks entirely. The A380E has a pixel rate of 64.00 GPixel/s, while the MI300A records 0 MPixel/s. The A380E's 8 RT cores enable hardware-accelerated ray tracing, a feature absent from the MI300A's data. The A380E also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, none of which are listed for the MI300A. The A380E's 75 W TDP is exactly one-tenth of the MI300A's 750 W TDP, and its suggested PSU of 250 W compares to 1150 W for the MI300A.

Clock speeds tell a nuanced story. The A380E runs at a constant 2000 MHz for both base and boost, while the MI300A starts at 1000 MHz and boosts to 2100 MHz. The A380E's memory clock of 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective) is lower in raw frequency than the MI300A's 2525 MHz (10.1 Gbps effective), but the MI300A's effective data rate is lower despite the higher clock due to the HBM3 signaling scheme. The MI300A's 8192-bit memory bus width versus 96 bits on the A380E explains the massive bandwidth gap despite the effective data rate difference.

The Verdict

The data points to two products with no meaningful overlap. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI300A is a compute accelerator with 81.72 TFLOPS FP32, 192 GB of HBM3, 10.3 TB/s bandwidth, and no display outputs. It is designed for server racks, OAM Module mounting, and workloads where power draw of 750 W and a suggested PSU of 1150 W are acceptable. Its CDNA 3.0 architecture, 5 nm process, and 153,000 million transistors target maximum throughput per die area.

The Intel Arc A380E is a graphics card in the conventional sense: single-slot, 254 mm long, 75 W TDP, 250 W suggested PSU, and four DisplayPort 2.0 outputs. It provides 4.096 TFLOPS FP32, 6 GB GDDR6, 186.0 GB/s bandwidth, 8 RT cores, and full support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its 6 nm process and 7,200 million transistors deliver capable entry-level graphics performance in a compact form factor.

For users selecting between these two, the choice is determined by workload requirements. The MI300A serves high-performance computing, AI training, and large-scale data processing where massive memory capacity and compute throughput are paramount. The A380E serves desktop graphics, multimedia output, and light compute tasks where low power, small size, and display connectivity matter. Neither can substitute for the other in its intended role. The MI300A's zero pixel rate and absence of display outputs make it unsuitable for any graphics output task, while the A380E's 75 W TDP and 6 GB memory cap its suitability for large-scale compute workloads. The database records both at the 50th percentile among all GPUs, but that percentile reflects their respective segments, not direct competition.