AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X vs NVIDIA N1X 48SM Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core architectural differences between the AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X and the NVIDIA N1X 48SM?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X uses the CDNA 3.0 architecture with the Aqua Vanjaram chip, while the NVIDIA N1X 48SM is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB20B chip. The AMD part is a dedicated compute accelerator with an OAM Module slot width, whereas the NVIDIA part is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with a 382 mm² die size and an active production status.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare between these two parts?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X features 192 GB of HBM3 memory on an 8192-bit bus, delivering 10.3 TB/s of bandwidth. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 273.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock for AMD is 2525 MHz (10.1 Gbps effective), while NVIDIA runs at 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective).

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute throughput in FP32 operations?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X delivers 81.72 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is approximately 2.8 times higher than the NVIDIA N1X 48SM's 28.83 TFLOPS. The AMD part also has significantly more shading units, with 19456 compared to NVIDIA's 6144.

Q: What are the differences in ray tracing and tensor core capabilities?

A: The NVIDIA N1X 48SM includes 48 ray tracing cores and 192 tensor cores, while the AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X has no listed RT cores or tensor cores in the database. The NVIDIA part also has a pixel rate of 112.6 GPixel/s, whereas the AMD part is listed with 0 MPixel/s, reflecting its compute-focused design with no display outputs.

Q: How do the form factors and power requirements differ?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X uses an OAM Module slot width with a 750 W TDP and a suggested PSU of 1150 W, and it has no display outputs. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM is an IGP with no listed TDP or suggested PSU, and it includes 1x HDMI output. Both use PCIe 5.0 x16 interfaces and have no power connectors listed.

Q: What are the release dates and production status for these GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X was released on December 5, 2023, with no listed production status. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has a release date of May 31, 2026, and is marked as Active in production. Both parts are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X and the NVIDIA N1X 48SM represent two divergent design philosophies in GPU architecture. The AMD part is built on CDNA 3.0, a compute-oriented architecture designed for data center acceleration, while the NVIDIA part uses Blackwell 2.0, which in this implementation targets integrated graphics with a compact form factor.

The process technology is identical at 5 nm from TSMC, but the physical implementations diverge sharply. The AMD chip, Aqua Vanjaram, has a die size of 1017 mm² and contains 153,000 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 150.4M per mm². The NVIDIA GB20B chip is much smaller at 382 mm², and its transistor count is listed as unknown in the database. This size difference reflects the AMD part's role as a massive accelerator versus the NVIDIA part's IGP positioning.

Memory architecture represents a fundamental split. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X uses HBM3 memory with a staggering 8192-bit bus width, achieving 10.3 TB/s of bandwidth across its 192 GB capacity. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM uses LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 273.2 GB/s across 128 GB. The memory clock rates also differ: AMD runs at 2525 MHz (10.1 Gbps effective), while NVIDIA operates at 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective). This gives AMD a roughly 37.7 times bandwidth advantage, which is critical for memory-bound workloads.

Compute resources tell a similar story. The AMD part has 19456 shading units and 1216 texture mapping units, producing a texture rate of 2,553.6 GTexel/s. The NVIDIA part has 6144 shading units and 384 TMUs, with a texture rate of 900.9 GTexel/s. AMD's FP32 throughput is 81.72 TFLOPS versus NVIDIA's 28.83 TFLOPS. In FP16, AMD achieves 653.7 TFLOPS using an 8:1 ratio, while NVIDIA matches its FP32 rate at 28.83 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio. The NVIDIA part does include 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, capabilities absent from the AMD listing.

The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has 48 ROPs and a pixel rate of 112.6 GPixel/s, whereas the AMD MI308X is listed with 0 ROPs and 0 MPixel/s, confirming its lack of display output functionality. The AMD part has no display outputs at all, while NVIDIA provides 1x HDMI. Both use PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interfaces.

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X has a TDP of 750 W with a suggested PSU of 1150 W, reflecting its OAM Module form factor designed for server racks. The NVIDIA N1X 48SM has no listed TDP or suggested PSU, consistent with its IGP classification. Neither part lists power connectors in the database.

The Verdict

The benchmark data positions these as fundamentally different products with no overlapping performance benchmarks recorded. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X is a data center compute accelerator with massive memory bandwidth and FP32 throughput, while the NVIDIA N1X 48SM is an integrated graphics processor with ray tracing and tensor core support.

For compute-heavy workloads that demand high FP32 and FP16 throughput, the AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X is the clear choice. Its 81.72 TFLOPS FP32 performance is approximately 2.8 times the NVIDIA part's 28.83 TFLOPS, and its FP16 output of 653.7 TFLOPS dwarfs the NVIDIA's 28.83 TFLOPS. The 10.3 TB/s memory bandwidth versus 273.2 GB/s gives AMD a decisive advantage for large data sets and memory-intensive operations.

The NVIDIA N1X 48SM is positioned for different requirements. It includes 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, features not present in the AMD listing. It also has display output capability with 1x HDMI, making it suitable for systems that require graphics output. The smaller 382 mm² die and IGP form factor suggest a lower-power, more integrated solution, though the database does not list its TDP.

The percentile rankings are identical at 50 for both parts, and both have average benchmark scores of 0 with no recorded head-to-head benchmarks. This means the database contains no direct performance comparisons, so the verdict rests on architectural specifications. The AMD part's release date of December 5, 2023, predates the NVIDIA part's May 31, 2026, release, and the NVIDIA part is the only one marked as Active in production.

Specification Differences

The recorded data shows these differences between the AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X and the NVIDIA N1X 48SM:

• Chip: Aqua Vanjaram versus GB20B
• Architecture: CDNA 3.0 versus Blackwell 2.0
• Generation: Radeon Instinct (MIx) versus Blackwell IGP (N1x)
• Transistors: 153,000 million versus unknown
• Die size: 1017 mm² versus 382 mm²
• Transistor density: 150.4M / mm² versus null
• Base clock: 1000 MHz versus 741 MHz
• Boost clock: 2100 MHz versus 2346 MHz
• Memory clock: 2525 MHz (10.1 Gbps effective) versus 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective)
• Memory size: 192 GB versus 128 GB
• Memory type: HBM3 versus LPDDR5X
• Memory bus width: 8192 bit versus 256 bit
• Memory bandwidth: 10.3 TB/s versus 273.2 GB/s
• Shading units: 19456 versus 6144
• Texture mapping units: 1216 versus 384
• ROPs: 0 versus 48
• RT cores: null versus 48
• Tensor cores: null versus 192
• Pixel rate: 0 MPixel/s versus 112.6 GPixel/s
• Texture rate: 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 900.9 GTexel/s
• FP32 performance: 81.72 TFLOPS versus 28.83 TFLOPS
• FP16 performance: 653.7 TFLOPS (8:1) versus 28.83 TFLOPS (1:1)
• TDP: 750 W versus unknown
• Slot width: OAM Module versus IGP
• Suggested PSU: 1150 W versus null
• Display outputs: No outputs versus 1x HDMI
• DirectX API: null versus N/A
• OpenGL API: null versus N/A
• Vulkan API: null versus N/A
• Production status: null versus Active
• Release date: 2023-12-05 versus 2026-05-31

The shared specifications include the 5 nm TSMC process node, PCIe 5.0 x16 bus interface, no power connectors, and null values for dimensions and launch MSRP.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records no head-to-head benchmark results between the AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X and the NVIDIA N1X 48SM. Both parts have zero wins in the winsA and winsB fields, and the headToHeadBenchmarks array is empty. This absence of direct comparative data means the analysis must rely entirely on the architectural specifications recorded for each part.

The closest comparison available comes from the raw compute specifications. In FP32 throughput, the AMD part delivers 81.72 TFLOPS, which is 52.89 TFLOPS higher than the NVIDIA part's 28.83 TFLOPS. This represents a 2.83 times advantage for AMD. In FP16, the gap widens dramatically: AMD's 653.7 TFLOPS is 624.87 TFLOPS higher than NVIDIA's 28.83 TFLOPS, a 22.7 times difference. However, this comparison reflects the different ratio implementations, with AMD using an 8:1 ratio and NVIDIA using 1:1.

Memory bandwidth provides another clear separation. The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X offers 10.3 TB/s, which is 10.03 TB/s higher than the NVIDIA part's 273.2 GB/s. This 37.7 times advantage is among the largest recorded differences between the two parts. The texture rate also favors AMD, with 2,553.6 GTexel/s versus 900.9 GTexel/s, a 2.8 times difference. The pixel rate, however, favors NVIDIA exclusively, as the AMD part records 0 MPixel/s while NVIDIA achieves 112.6 GPixel/s.

Clock speeds present a mixed picture. The AMD part has a higher base clock at 1000 MHz versus 741 MHz, but the NVIDIA part has a higher boost clock at 2346 MHz versus 2100 MHz. The NVIDIA part also includes ray tracing and tensor core capabilities that are absent from the AMD listing.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X wins decisively in compute throughput and memory bandwidth. Its 81.72 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 653.7 TFLOPS FP16 output position it for high-performance computing, AI training, and scientific workloads that can utilize its 192 GB HBM3 memory at 10.3 TB/s. The 19456 shading units and 1216 TMUs provide substantial parallel processing capability. The 750 W TDP and 1150 W suggested PSU indicate a system designed for maximum compute density in server environments.

The NVIDIA N1X 48SM wins in areas where AMD has no recorded capability. It provides 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores, making it suitable for ray tracing workloads and tensor operations. Its 48 ROPs and 112.6 GPixel/s pixel rate enable graphics rendering, and the 1x HDMI output allows display connectivity. The 2346 MHz boost clock is higher than AMD's 2100 MHz, and the smaller 382 mm² die size suggests a more compact integration. The IGP form factor and absence of a listed TDP indicate a lower-power design suitable for integrated systems.

For pure compute acceleration, the AMD Radeon Instinct MI308X is the superior part based on recorded specifications. For graphics output, ray tracing, and integrated deployment, the NVIDIA N1X 48SM holds the advantages that the database records. The 2026 release date for the NVIDIA part positions it as a newer product, while the AMD part's 2023 release has been available longer. Neither part has recorded benchmark scores or nearest rivals, so these conclusions derive strictly from the architectural and specification data.