Intel Arc A380M vs NVIDIA H20 NVL16 Comparison

The Intel Arc A380M and NVIDIA H20 NVL16 occupy opposite ends of the hardware spectrum, and the recorded data reflects this clearly. The Arc A380M is a mobile-focused, low-power graphics solution built for rendering and display output, while the H20 NVL16 is a server-class compute accelerator with no display outputs and a focus on massive throughput. The benchmark results, which show no direct head-to-head wins for either side, confirm that these products are not competitors in any conventional sense. Instead, the data points to a complete divergence in purpose, architecture, and physical design.

Where Each One Wins

The Intel Arc A380M wins in scenarios that require a self-contained, low-power graphics solution for portable devices. Its 35 W TDP, compared to the H20 NVL16's 400 W TDP, makes it suitable for systems where power delivery and cooling are constrained. The A380M's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 96-bit bus is designed for rendering frames, and its DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 API support means it can handle standard graphics workloads. Its MXM-A (3.1) bus interface and "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs indicate it is meant to be installed in mobile workstations or compact systems that need GPU acceleration without a full-size card.

The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 wins in data-center and high-performance computing contexts. Its 96 GB of HBM3 memory on a 6144-bit bus delivers a bandwidth of 4.03 TB/s, which is a dominant figure for memory-intensive workloads like large model inference or scientific simulation. The H20 NVL16's 312 tensor cores are a clear indicator of its AI-focused design, and its 39.54 TFLOPS FP32 and 79.07 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1) performance demonstrate raw compute capability that far exceeds the A380M. With no display outputs, the H20 NVL16 does not render to screens; it processes data. Its PCIe 5.0 x16 interface and 800 W suggested PSU reinforce that it is a server component.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs are built on different architectures and manufacturing processes. The Arc A380M uses Intel's Xe-HPG architecture, specifically the DG2-128 chip, and belongs to the Alchemist generation for Arc 3 Mobile. It is fabricated on a 6 nm process at TSMC, containing 7,200 million transistors on a 157 mm² die. The H20 NVL16 uses NVIDIA's Hopper architecture with the GH100 chip, part of the Server Hopper (Hxx) generation. It is fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 80,000 million transistors on a much larger 814 mm² die. The transistor density figures reflect this difference: the A380M has 45.9M transistors per mm², while the H20 NVL16 has 98.3M per mm².

The compute resources are starkly different. The A380M has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, 32 raster output units, and 8 ray tracing cores. It has no dedicated tensor cores. The H20 NVL16 has 9984 shading units, 312 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. It has 312 tensor cores and no listed ray tracing cores. This means the A380M is equipped for graphics rendering with ray tracing support, while the H20 NVL16 is built for parallel compute and tensor operations.

Clock speeds also differ. The A380M has a base clock of 1550 MHz and a boost clock of 2000 MHz, with memory running at 1937 MHz (15.5 Gbps effective). The H20 NVL16 has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 1980 MHz, with memory at 1313 MHz (5.3 Gbps effective). Despite the H20 NVL16's higher base clock, its memory clock is lower in MHz terms, but the vastly wider bus and HBM3 technology make its effective bandwidth far superior.

The physical form factors are also distinct. The A380M is an MXM Module, a compact, replaceable GPU board for laptops and small systems. The H20 NVL16 is an SXM Module, a high-density server form factor. The A380M's release date is 2023-01-23, while the H20 NVL16's release date is 2025-09-01, and its predecessor is listed as Server Ada with a successor of Server Blackwell.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head benchmark data is empty, with no wins recorded for either the Arc A380M or the H20 NVL16. This is consistent with the two products never being tested against each other in the database, as they target completely different markets. However, the raw specification data provides a basis for comparing their theoretical performance ceilings.

In FP32 compute, the H20 NVL16 delivers 39.54 TFLOPS, which is roughly 9.65 times the A380M's 4.096 TFLOPS. The gap is similar in FP16: the H20 NVL16's 79.07 TFLOPS is about 9.65 times the A380M's 8.192 TFLOPS. These ratios are consistent because both GPUs list a 2:1 FP16 to FP32 ratio, though the H20 NVL16's tensor cores would likely accelerate certain FP16 workloads further, a detail not captured in the raw FP16 figure.

In texture processing, the H20 NVL16's 617.8 GTexel/s is about 4.83 times the A380M's 128.0 GTexel/s. In pixel processing, the A380M actually leads with 64.00 GPixel/s versus the H20 NVL16's 47.52 GPixel/s. This is a notable result: the A380M, despite being a low-power mobile chip, has a higher pixel rate because it has 32 ROPs compared to the H20 NVL16's 24 ROPs. This reinforces that the A380M is optimized for rasterization, while the H20 NVL16 is not.

Memory bandwidth is the most lopsided comparison. The H20 NVL16's 4.03 TB/s is roughly 21.67 times the A380M's 186.0 GB/s. The H20 NVL16's 96 GB capacity is 16 times the A380M's 6 GB. These figures show that the H20 NVL16 is designed to feed massive parallel workloads, while the A380M's memory subsystem is sized for frame buffers and moderate data sets.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the Intel Arc A380M is a graphics card for mobile systems. Its 35 W TDP, 6 GB GDDR6 memory, and 8 ray tracing cores make it a practical choice for portable devices that need DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility. Its higher pixel rate of 64.00 GPixel/s compared to the H20 NVL16's 47.52 GPixel/s shows that it is built for rendering efficiency in its class. Users with a portable device that uses an MXM-A slot would consider this GPU for its balance of features and low power draw.

The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 is a compute accelerator for servers. Its 96 GB HBM3 memory, 312 tensor cores, and 4.03 TB/s bandwidth make it suited for AI inference and training workloads where memory capacity and throughput are critical. The 400 W TDP and 800 W suggested PSU indicate it requires a server chassis with substantial power delivery. Its lack of display outputs and absence of DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan support confirm that it is not for graphics workstations. The data shows that anyone needing raw FP32 or FP16 compute, with 39.54 TFLOPS and 79.07 TFLOPS respectively, would look to the H20 NVL16.

Selecting between these two is not a matter of performance preference. The A380M is for rendering on the go, and the H20 NVL16 is for compute in a rack. The recorded data supports no other conclusion.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has more shading units?

A: The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 has 9984 shading units, while the Intel Arc A380M has 1024.

Q: Can the NVIDIA H20 NVL16 output to a display?

A: No, the H20 NVL16 has no display outputs, while the A380M's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent."

Q: How does the memory bandwidth compare between the two?

A: The H20 NVL16 has 4.03 TB/s bandwidth from 96 GB HBM3 on a 6144-bit bus, versus the A380M's 186.0 GB/s from 6 GB GDDR6 on a 96-bit bus.

Q: Which GPU supports ray tracing?

A: The Intel Arc A380M has 8 ray tracing cores. The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 does not list any ray tracing cores.

Q: What are the power requirements?

A: The A380M has a 35 W TDP, and the H20 NVL16 has a 400 W TDP with a suggested PSU of 800 W.

Q: Which GPU has tensor cores?

A: The NVIDIA H20 NVL16 has 312 tensor cores. The Intel Arc A380M has no tensor cores listed.

Specification Differences

The following table highlights the key differences between the two products based on the recorded data.

| Specification | Intel Arc A380M | NVIDIA H20 NVL16 |

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

| Architecture | Xe-HPG | Hopper |

| Process Node | 6 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 7,200 million | 80,000 million |

| Die Size | 157 mm² | 814 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1550 MHz | 1830 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2000 MHz | 1980 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB GDDR6 | 96 GB HBM3 |

| Memory Bus Width | 96 bit | 6144 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 186.0 GB/s | 4.03 TB/s |

| Shading Units | 1024 | 9984 |

| Texture Mapping Units | 64 | 312 |

| Raster Output Units | 32 | 24 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 8 | None |

| Tensor Cores | None | 312 |

| FP32 Performance | 4.096 TFLOPS | 39.54 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 8.192 TFLOPS (2:1) | 79.07 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 64.00 GPixel/s | 47.52 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 128.0 GTexel/s | 617.8 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 35 W | 400 W |

| Slot Width | MXM Module | SXM Module |

| Bus Interface | MXM-A (3.1) | PCIe 5.0 x16 |

| Suggested PSU | None | 800 W |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | No outputs |

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

| OpenGL Support | 4.6 | N/A |

| Vulkan Support | 1.4 | N/A |

| Release Date | 2023-01-23 | 2025-09-01 |