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AMD Instinct MI250 128GB vs NVIDIA L40S 48GB

The Instinct MI250 and the L40S deliver near-identical FP16 throughput (362 vs 362 TFLOPS dense). The Instinct MI250 also carries 80 GB more memory (128 GB vs 48 GB).

Instinct MI250: CDNA 2, 2021 L40S: Ada Lovelace, 2023
Memory
128 vs 48 GB
80 GB more for the Instinct MI250
Bandwidth
3.3 TB/s vs 864 GB/s
Instinct MI250 moves data faster
TDP
500 W vs 350 W
L40S draws 150 W less
See rental pricing from $0.44/hr Download comparison sheet

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AMD Instinct MI250 128GB vs NVIDIA L40S 48GB

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AMD Instinct MI250 128GB

Full specs →

What is the AMD Instinct MI250?

The Instinct MI250 is a GPU from AMD on the CDNA 2 architecture, an accelerator for AI training, inference and high-performance computing. It is an OAM module, the open accelerator format used in multi-GPU servers. Instinct MI250 full specifications →

Can I rent the Instinct MI250 in the cloud?

Yes. Cloud providers tracked by Flopper rent the Instinct MI250 by the hour, and the pricing page compares their current rates and the price history side by side. Instinct MI250 rental prices →

How does the Instinct MI250 compare with other accelerators?

This page sets the Instinct MI250 against the L40S. The Instinct MI250 is the older generation of the two. This is a cross-vendor matchup, AMD against NVIDIA; the Instinct MI250 is an OAM module while the L40S is a PCIe card. The compare tool builds the same comparison for any two parts in the catalogue. All GPU comparisons →

Where do the Instinct MI250 figures come from?

Every Instinct MI250 figure on this page traces to AMD's own datasheet or specification table. How Flopper verifies specifications →

NVIDIA L40S 48GB

Full specs →

What is the NVIDIA L40S?

The L40S is a GPU from NVIDIA on the Ada Lovelace architecture, an accelerator for AI training, inference and high-performance computing. It is a PCIe add-in card, so it fits standard servers and workstations. L40S full specifications →

Can I rent the L40S in the cloud?

Yes. Cloud providers tracked by Flopper rent the L40S by the hour, and the pricing page compares their current rates and the price history side by side. L40S rental prices →

How does the L40S compare with other accelerators?

This page sets the L40S against the Instinct MI250. The L40S is the newer generation of the two. This is a cross-vendor matchup, NVIDIA against AMD; the L40S is a PCIe card while the Instinct MI250 is an OAM module. Flopper also compares it head to head with the TPU v5e 16GB and ATOM-Max, across every published precision, memory and power. L40S vs TPU v5e 16GB →

Where do the L40S figures come from?

Every L40S figure on this page traces to NVIDIA's own datasheet or specification table. How Flopper verifies specifications →

Specifications

Instinct MI250
L40S
Architecture
CDNA 2Ada Lovelace
Launch Year
20212023
Form Factor
OAMPCIe
Memory
128 GB48 GB
Memory Bandwidth
3.3 TB/s864 GB/s
TDP
500 W350 W
Process Node
6nm4nm

Performance (TFLOPS)

Instinct MI250
L40S
45 TFLOPS 1.4 TFLOPS
45 TFLOPS 92 TFLOPS
No verified data available183 TFLOPS
366 TFLOPS sparse
362 TFLOPS 362 TFLOPS
733 TFLOPS sparse
362 TFLOPS 362 TFLOPS
733 TFLOPS sparse
No verified data available733 TFLOPS
1,466 TFLOPS sparse
FP6
No verified data available No verified data available
No verified data available No verified data available
362 TOPS 733 TOPS
1,466 TOPS sparse

Figures are dense. Where a vendor publishes a figure it sits under the dense one and never decides a winner. Hover any precision for its definition, or read the GPU glossary.

FLOPS by Precision

What actually differs

The L40S is the newer part: Ada Lovelace (2023) against the Instinct MI250's CDNA 2 (2021).

The Instinct MI250 carries 80 GB more memory (128 GB against 48 GB), so larger models fit on one GPU before you shard. Bandwidth is 3.3 TB/s against 864 GB/s, which sets the ceiling on decode speed.

Power is 500 W against 350 W, and at FP32 the L40S does more work per watt. Weight the FP8 and FP16 rows for LLM work and the FP64 row for HPC.

New to the terms? The glossary explains FP64, FP32, TF32, BF16, FP16, FP8, INT8, Sparsity and TFLOPS. For how the generations relate, see NVIDIA architectures explained.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Instinct MI250 faster than the L40S?

They are close on paper: both deliver about 362 TFLOPS of dense FP16 throughput. Memory, bandwidth, and power are the deciding differences.

Which should you choose, the Instinct MI250 or the L40S?

On raw FP16 throughput the Instinct MI250 and the L40S are level, so the decision rests on memory, power and price. Choose the Instinct MI250 when the model has to fit on one GPU: it carries 80 GB more memory. The L40S draws 150 W less power, which matters in an air-cooled or power-capped rack. Packaging differs too: the Instinct MI250 is an OAM module while the L40S is a PCIe card, so check what your servers accept.

Which has more memory, the Instinct MI250 or the L40S?

The Instinct MI250 carries 128 GB of memory versus 48 GB for the L40S. Memory bandwidth is 3.3 TB/s for the Instinct MI250 and 864 GB/s for the L40S.

How much power do the Instinct MI250 and the L40S draw?

The Instinct MI250 is rated at 500 W TDP and the L40S at 350 W. On FP32 throughput per watt, the L40S is the more efficient part.

How much do the Instinct MI250 and the L40S cost to rent?

Live cloud listings tracked by Flopper price the Instinct MI250 from $1.28 per GPU-hour across 1 provider, and the L40S from $0.44 per GPU-hour across 23 providers. The rental section on this page links to every provider, rate and the price history for each GPU.

Where to Rent

AMD Instinct MI250 128GB

Rent from

$1.28 / GPU-hr

Lowest of 4 live listings across 1 provider

See all Instinct MI250 rental prices →

Price history and every provider on the pricing page. Some links are affiliate links.

NVIDIA L40S 48GB

Rent from

$0.44 / GPU-hr

Lowest of 40 live listings across 23 providers · median $1.46

See all L40S rental prices →

Price history and every provider on the pricing page. Some links are affiliate links.

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