AMD Radeon Instinct MI250X

The AMD Radeon Instinct MI250X is a data-center accelerator built on the CDNA 2.0 architecture, using the Aldebaran chip fabricated by TSMC on a 6 nm process. The die measures 724 mm² and packs 58,200 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 80.4M per mm². Released on 2021-11-07, it succeeds the FirePro Data Center line. The card operates with a base clock of 1000 MHz and a boost clock of 1700 MHz, with memory clocked at 1600 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective). It carries 128 GB of HBM2e memory across an 8192-bit bus, delivering 3.28 TB/s of bandwidth. The compute configuration includes 14,080 shading units, 880 texture mapping units, and zero ROPs, resulting in a texture rate of 1,496.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s. Peak FP32 throughput is 47.87 TFLOPS, while FP16 reaches 383.0 TFLOPS with an 8:1 ratio. Power draw is rated at 500 W, requiring two 8-pin connectors and a suggested 900 W power supply. The card uses a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, occupies a dual-slot form factor, and measures 267 mm (10.5 inches) in length and 111 mm (4.4 inches) in height. It provides no display outputs, and its benchmark array is empty, with an average score of 0 and a global percentile of 50.

How It Compares

The database lists no nearest rivals for the MI250X, so there are no direct score comparisons or deltaPct values to report. Its percentile rank among all tracked GPUs is 50, which places it at the exact midpoint of the database's performance distribution. This median standing suggests that, in the absence of measured scores, the hardware occupies a middle ground in the overall ranking, though the empty benchmark array means this percentile is not derived from any actual test results. The avgBenchmarkScore is 0, further confirming that no performance data has been recorded for this part.

Without rival entries, positional analysis must rely on the theoretical throughput figures. The FP32 peak of 47.87 TFLOPS and FP16 peak of 383.0 TFLOPS provide a computational ceiling, but these are not benchmark scores. The card's release date of 2021-11-07 and its predecessor, the FirePro Data Center, establish its lineage in AMD's data-center lineup. The 6 nm process and 724 mm² die with 58,200 million transistors indicate a high-density design, but without comparative data, its relative standing against other accelerators cannot be quantified beyond the 50th percentile.

The lack of ROPs (0) and pixel rate (0 MPixel/s) distinguishes it from rasterization-focused GPUs, reinforcing that its comparison set would be compute accelerators rather than graphics cards. The 8192-bit memory bus and 3.28 TB/s bandwidth are exceptionally broad, but again, no rival scores exist to contextualize these figures. The 500 W TDP and suggested 900 W PSU place it in the high-power segment, yet the absence of rival power data prevents a meaningful comparison of efficiency.

Memory Subsystem

The MI250X features 128 GB of HBM2e memory, a capacity that is substantial for data-center workloads. The memory bus is 8192 bits wide, which is exceptionally broad, and the effective memory clock is 1600 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective). This combination yields a memory bandwidth of 3.28 TB/s, a figure that is critical for workloads that move large datasets. For high-resolution compute tasks, such as scientific simulations or AI inference, the 128 GB capacity allows entire models or datasets to reside on the card without spilling to system memory. The 3.28 TB/s bandwidth ensures that the compute units can be fed without bottlenecks.

The memory type, HBM2e, is chosen for its high bandwidth and low power per bit, though the card's total power draw is 500 W. The absence of ROPs (0) and a pixel rate of 0 MPixel/s means this memory subsystem is not designed for frame buffer output; there are no display outputs. Instead, the memory is exclusively for compute data. The texture rate of 1,496.0 GTexel/s, driven by 880 TMUs, suggests that texture-heavy compute workloads can also benefit from the memory throughput. The 128 GB capacity is particularly relevant for high-resolution rendering in offline contexts, though no specific resolution benchmarks are available in the data. The 8192-bit bus width and 3.28 TB/s bandwidth are the defining characteristics of this memory subsystem, enabling large-scale data processing without external memory bottlenecks.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set

The FACT PACK lists no rtCores and no tensorCores for the MI250X. This indicates that the database does not attribute dedicated ray tracing or tensor processing hardware to this part. The architecture is CDNA 2.0, which is optimized for compute rather than graphics rendering. The API support fields for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan are all null, meaning no API compatibility is recorded. The card provides no display outputs, so it cannot drive a monitor.

The compute feature set is defined by its shading units (14,080) and TMUs (880). The FP16 throughput of 383.0 TFLOPS with an 8:1 ratio suggests that mixed-precision workloads, common in machine learning, are a target. The FP32 peak of 47.87 TFLOPS covers single-precision compute. The lack of ROPs (0) and pixel rate (0 MPixel/s) confirms that rasterization is not a function of this card. The texture rate of 1,496.0 GTexel/s is the primary texture-related metric. The power delivery requires 2x 8-pin connectors, and the suggested PSU is 900 W, indicating a high-power compute accelerator. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x16, which provides host connectivity. The dual-slot form factor and dimensions of 267 mm (10.5 inches) by 111 mm (4.4 inches) are typical for data-center accelerators. The absence of tensor cores is notable, as many competing accelerators include them, but the data does not provide any rival comparisons to assess the impact.

FAQ

Q: What is the memory capacity and type?

A: The MI250X has 128 GB of HBM2e memory.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth?

A: The memory bandwidth is 3.28 TB/s, achieved over an 8192-bit bus.

Q: What are the peak FP32 and FP16 throughputs?

A: FP32 peak is 47.87 TFLOPS, while FP16 peak is 383.0 TFLOPS with an 8:1 ratio.

Q: Does the card have display outputs?

A: No, it has no display outputs; it is a compute accelerator.

Q: What is the process node and die size?

A: It is fabricated on a 6 nm process by TSMC, with a die size of 724 mm² and 58,200 million transistors.

Q: What is the power requirement?

A: The TDP is 500 W, with a suggested PSU of 900 W and 2x 8-pin power connectors.

Benchmark Performance

The benchmark array for the MI250X is empty, and the avgBenchmarkScore is 0. This means there are no measured performance scores in the database. The percentile rank of 50 is the only positional metric, indicating a median position among all tracked GPUs, though this is not derived from any actual benchmark runs. Without benchmark scores, the analysis must rely on theoretical peak numbers. The FP32 throughput of 47.87 TFLOPS and FP16 throughput of 383.0 TFLOPS are the only quantitative performance indicators. The texture rate of 1,496.0 GTexel/s and the memory bandwidth of 3.28 TB/s provide additional context.

Since nearestRivals is empty, there are no deltaPct values to report, and no rival names or scores are available for comparison. The lack of ROPs (0) and pixel rate (0 MPixel/s) means that any rasterization-based benchmark would be inapplicable. The data shows that the card is designed for compute, and its performance in that domain would be driven by the 14,080 shading units and 880 TMUs. The 128 GB memory capacity and 3.28 TB/s bandwidth suggest that memory-bound workloads would see high throughput, but without actual scores, this remains speculative. The release date of 2021-11-07 places it in the early CDNA 2.0 era, and the predecessor, FirePro Data Center, indicates a lineage of compute accelerators. The 6 nm process and 724 mm² die with 58,200 million transistors suggest a high transistor density of 80.4M per mm², which could correlate with computational density, but again, no benchmarks confirm this.

Who Should Consider It

Based on the specifications, the MI250X is suited for compute workloads that require large memory capacity and high bandwidth. The 128 GB of HBM2e memory and 3.28 TB/s bandwidth make it appropriate for data-center tasks such as large-scale simulations, AI training, or scientific computing. The FP16 throughput of 383.0 TFLOPS (8:1) indicates strong performance for mixed-precision machine learning workloads. The FP32 peak of 47.87 TFLOPS covers single-precision compute needs.

The absence of display outputs means it is not for consumer gaming or workstation graphics. The 500 W TDP and suggested 900 W PSU indicate a high-power component for server environments. The dual-slot form factor and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface fit standard server configurations. For high-resolution compute tasks, the 128 GB capacity allows entire datasets to be processed on-card, and the 3.28 TB/s bandwidth reduces data transfer bottlenecks. The lack of benchmark scores means that no performance guarantees can be stated, but the theoretical peaks provide a ceiling. The 0 ROPs and 0 MPixel/s pixel rate confirm that it is not for rasterized rendering. Users with compute-heavy workloads that can leverage the 14,080 shading units and 880 TMUs would find it suitable. The release date of 2021-11-07 and the predecessor FirePro Data Center position it as a professional accelerator. The 6 nm process and 724 mm² die with 58,200 million transistors suggest a robust compute design. The memory clock of 1600 MHz (3.2 Gbps effective) and 8192-bit bus are key enablers for its bandwidth. Overall, the MI250X is aimed at high-performance compute environments, not consumer graphics.