Google TPU v3 32GB vs Google TPU v5e 16GB
The TPU v5e delivers 60% more BF16 throughput than the TPU v3 (197 vs 123 TFLOPS dense). The TPU v3 counters with 16 GB more memory (32 GB vs 16 GB).
Google TPU v3 32GB
Full specs →Google TPU v5e 16GB
Full specs →Specifications
Performance (TFLOPS)
FLOPS by Precision
What actually differs
The TPU v5e is the newer part: TPU, launched in 2023, against the TPU v3's TPU from 2018. Newer architectures typically add lower-precision formats and better throughput per watt, so check the precision rows your workload actually uses.
Memory is 32 GB against 16 GB, fed at 900 GB/s versus 800 GB/s. More memory per GPU means larger models fit before you have to shard across cards, which often matters more than raw TFLOPS for inference.
For LLM training and inference, weight the FP8 and FP16 rows and memory capacity most heavily. For scientific and HPC workloads, the FP64 row is the one to read.
Frequently asked questions
Is the TPU v3 faster than the TPU v5e?
At BF16 precision the TPU v5e reaches 197 TFLOPS dense against 123 TFLOPS for the TPU v3. The performance table on this page lists every published precision for both GPUs.
Which has more memory, the TPU v3 or the TPU v5e?
The TPU v3 carries 32 GB of VRAM versus 16 GB for the TPU v5e. Memory bandwidth is 900 GB/s for the TPU v3 and 800 GB/s for the TPU v5e.
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