AMD has released yet another RDNA 2 GPU today, but not one you may expect. In a blog post today, the company announced the all-new Radeon Pro V620 GPU, powered by the RDNA 2 architecture. This GPU is designed to live in cloud servers and run tasks such as cloud gaming, desktop-as-a-service, visual computing and machine learning.
The GPU itself is effectively a Pro version of the RX 6800 XT, which is one of the best graphics cards on sale today. Both GPUs feature the same 4,608 stream processors and 72 CUs. However, the Pro V620 takes its memory configuration to another level by doubling its capacity to 32GB in order to handle the more demanding tasks. It keeps its peak memory bandwidth the same as the 6800 XT at 512GB/s.
Everything else remains similar: the V620 uses a PCIe Gen 4.0 x16 slot for connectivity and runs at a maximum board power of 300W. But due to the card's use cases, it will be equipped with a passive heatsink that will be actively cooled by chassis fans within a server.
With the introduction of the Pro V620 GPU, AMD now effectively has three whole lineups of RDNA 2 GPUs designed for different roles. The RX 6000 series is optimized for gaming and lighter content creation, AMD's W6000X series of workstation GPUs are optimized for content creation and heavy GPU compute (but are Apple exclusive). Now we have the Pro V620 GPU which is AMD's first RDNA 2 server card designed to operate in the cloud.
If history repeats itself, then the V620 won't be the last cloud GPU we'll see from AMD. Expect several other SKUs to appear that should be both cheaper and more expensive than the Pro V620.
With AMD advertising cloud gaming as one of the V620 Pro's strengths, we wouldn't be surprised to see this GPU start competing against Nvidia's A10G servers, which power the RTX 3080 cloud gaming plan from Nvidia. Both cards should be very similar in terms of performance. Once someone puts it in their own service, it'll be exciting to see AMD and Nvidia compete not just in the consumer space, but in the cloud as well.
Availability for the Pro V620 GPU starts today, but due to its cloud computing capabilities, it will not be offered as a retail item. You will have to contact AMD directly in order to buy one.
