NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB vs NVIDIA H20 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains no direct head-to-head benchmark scores for the NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB and the NVIDIA H20. Both cards share the same percentile rank against all GPUs (50th percentile), and their average benchmark scores are recorded as zero. This absence of measured data means the comparison must be derived from the architectural and specification differences captured in the database rather than from synthetic or application-level results.

The most significant measured divergence appears in compute throughput. The H100 NVL 94 GB delivers 60.32 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the H20 produces 39.54 TFLOPS. That places the H100 NVL 94 GB roughly 52.6% ahead in single-precision floating-point work. The gap widens substantially in FP16 tensor workloads, where the H100 NVL 94 GB reaches 241.3 TFLOPS (4:1 ratio) versus the H20's 79.07 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The H100 NVL 94 GB holds a 3.05x advantage in this metric, a decisive margin for AI training and inference tasks that rely on reduced-precision arithmetic.

Memory bandwidth also favors the H100 NVL 94 GB, though by a smaller margin. The H100 NVL 94 GB moves 3.94 TB/s across a 6016-bit bus, while the H20 reaches 4.03 TB/s over a 6144-bit interface. The H20 actually holds a 2.3% edge in raw bandwidth, an interesting inversion given its lower compute throughput. This suggests the H20 was configured with a wider memory path relative to its compute resources, potentially to support memory-bound workloads where capacity and bandwidth matter more than raw FLOPs.

Pixel and texture rates show a mixed picture. The H20 posts a higher pixel rate at 47.52 GPixel/s compared to the H100 NVL 94 GB's 42.84 GPixel/s, a 10.9% advantage. The H100 NVL 94 GB counters in texture throughput with 942.5 GTexel/s versus the H20's 617.8 GTexel/s, a 52.5% lead. These metrics reflect the differing shader and TMU counts: the H100 NVL 94 GB carries 16,896 shading units and 528 TMUs, while the H20 has 9,984 shading units and 312 TMUs. Both cards share 24 ROPs, so the pixel rate difference stems entirely from clock speeds.

Clock behavior is the second major differentiator. The H20 runs at a 1830 MHz base clock and 1980 MHz boost, substantially higher than the H100 NVL 94 GB's 1080 MHz base and 1785 MHz boost. The H20's base clock is 69.4% higher, and its boost clock is 10.9% higher. This clock advantage partially compensates for the H20's reduced shader count, but it cannot close the gap in total compute throughput given the H100 NVL 94 GB's 69.2% more shading units.

The database records no wins for either card in the head-to-head field, and both entries show zero benchmark entries. Consequently, the verdict rests entirely on the specification sheet and the derived performance ratios.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher FP32 compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB delivers 60.32 TFLOPS of FP32, while the NVIDIA H20 produces 39.54 TFLOPS. The H100 NVL 94 GB is approximately 52.6% ahead in this metric.

Q: How do the two cards compare in FP16 tensor performance?

A: The H100 NVL 94 GB reaches 241.3 TFLOPS (4:1 ratio), versus the H20's 79.07 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). This gives the H100 NVL 94 GB a 3.05x advantage in reduced-precision tensor workloads.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The H20 has a slight edge with 4.03 TB/s across a 6144-bit bus, compared to the H100 NVL 94 GB's 3.94 TB/s over a 6016-bit bus. The H20 leads by 2.3% in raw bandwidth.

Q: What are the clock speed differences?

A: The H20 runs at 1830 MHz base and 1980 MHz boost, while the H100 NVL 94 GB runs at 1080 MHz base and 1785 MHz boost. The H20's base clock is 69.4% higher, and its boost clock is 10.9% higher.

Q: Which card has more shading units and tensor cores?

A: The H100 NVL 94 GB has 16,896 shading units and 528 tensor cores, while the H20 has 9,984 shading units and 312 tensor cores. The H100 NVL 94 GB carries 69.2% more shading units and 69.2% more tensor cores.

Q: Do the cards share the same memory capacity?

A: They are close but not identical. The H100 NVL 94 GB has 94 GB of HBM3, while the H20 has 96 GB of HBM3. The H20 has 2 GB more capacity.

The Verdict

The recorded data points to the NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB as the stronger compute-oriented accelerator. Its FP32 throughput of 60.32 TFLOPS exceeds the H20's 39.54 TFLOPS by over half, and its FP16 tensor performance of 241.3 TFLOPS is more than triple the H20's 79.07 TFLOPS. For workloads dominated by dense matrix math, large language model training, or high-throughput inference, the H100 NVL 94 GB is the clear choice based on the specification sheet.

The H20, however, presents a different trade-off. It offers 2 GB more memory (96 GB versus 94 GB), a slightly higher memory bandwidth (4.03 TB/s versus 3.94 TB/s), and substantially higher clock speeds (1830 MHz base versus 1080 MHz base). These characteristics favor memory-bound applications where the bottleneck is data movement rather than arithmetic throughput. The H20's 500 W TDP also exceeds the H100 NVL 94 GB's 400 W, indicating a different power envelope, though the database does not record efficiency metrics.

The H20's higher pixel rate (47.52 GPixel/s versus 42.84 GPixel/s) suggests it may handle certain rasterization-heavy tasks slightly better, but neither card has display outputs, so this metric is of limited practical relevance in a server context.

In summary, the H100 NVL 94 GB dominates in raw compute and tensor throughput, making it the preferred option for AI training and dense FP16 workloads. The H20 offers marginal advantages in memory capacity, bandwidth, and clock speed, which could benefit memory-bound inference or workloads with a higher ratio of memory access to compute. The database does not include measured benchmarks to validate these predictions, so the verdict rests on the recorded specifications.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA H100 NVL 94 GB | NVIDIA H20 |

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

| Base Clock | 1080 MHz | 1830 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1785 MHz | 1980 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 1310 MHz (5.2 Gbps effective) | 1313 MHz (5.3 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Size | 94 GB | 96 GB |

| Memory Type | HBM3 | HBM3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 6016 bit | 6144 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 3.94 TB/s | 4.03 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 16,896 | 9,984 |

| TMUs | 528 | 312 |

| ROPs | 24 | 24 |

| Tensor Cores | 528 | 312 |

| Pixel Rate | 42.84 GPixel/s | 47.52 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 942.5 GTexel/s | 617.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 60.32 TFLOPS | 39.54 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 241.3 TFLOPS (4:1) | 79.07 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 400 W | 500 W |

| Slot Width | Dual-slot | SXM Module |

| Power Connectors | 8-pin EPS | None recorded |

| Suggested PSU | 800 W | 900 W |

| Dimensions | 267 mm length, 111 mm height | Not recorded |

| DirectX Support | Not recorded | N/A |

| OpenGL Support | Not recorded | N/A |

| Vulkan Support | Not recorded | N/A |

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same underlying GH100 chip, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 80,000 million transistors on an 814 mm² die. The transistor density is identical at 98.3 million transistors per square millimeter. They belong to the same Hopper generation and the Server Hopper (Hxx) product line, with the same predecessor (Server Ada) and successor (Server Blackwell).

The core configuration differs significantly. The H100 NVL 94 GB activates 16,896 shading units, 528 TMUs, and 528 tensor cores, while the H20 uses 9,984 shading units, 312 TMUs, and 312 tensor cores. Both have 24 ROPs. This means the H100 NVL 94 GB has 69.2% more shading units, TMUs, and tensor cores, indicating that the H20 is a partially disabled variant of the same GH100 die, likely with some compute blocks fused off to meet different market positioning.

Clock speeds compensate partially. The H20 runs at 1830 MHz base and 1980 MHz boost, versus 1080 MHz base and 1785 MHz boost for the H100 NVL 94 GB. The higher clocks on the H20 help its smaller compute array, but the H100 NVL 94 GB still achieves higher total throughput because of its larger array and higher FP16 ratio (4:1 versus 2:1).

Memory architecture also diverges. The H100 NVL 94 GB uses a 6016-bit bus with 94 GB of HBM3, while the H20 uses a 6144-bit bus with 96 GB. The H20's wider bus and slightly higher memory clock (1313 MHz versus 1310 MHz) produce its 4.03 TB/s bandwidth, a 2.3% improvement over the H100 NVL 94 GB's 3.94 TB/s.

The power delivery and form factor differ as well. The H100 NVL 94 GB is a dual-slot card with an 8-pin EPS connector and a 400 W TDP, requiring an 800 W suggested PSU. The H20 is an SXM module with no recorded power connector, a 500 W TDP, and a 900 W suggested PSU. The H100 NVL 94 GB has recorded dimensions of 267 mm length and 111 mm height, while the H20's dimensions are not recorded.

The API support also differs. The H100 NVL 94 GB has no recorded DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan support, while the H20 explicitly lists these APIs as N/A. Neither card has display outputs, confirming their server-oriented design. The release dates differ, with the H100 NVL 94 GB launched on 2023-03-20 and the H20 on 2024-01-31, placing the H20 nearly a year later in the product cycle. Both are marked as Active in production status.