What is the cost comparison between H100 and A100 GPU instances?

The NVIDIA H100 GPU instances are generally more expensive per hour than the A100 GPU instances, with costs often about 30% to 80% higher depending on the provider and configuration. However, the H100 offers significantly faster processing speeds—typically 2-3 times faster—meaning that while the hourly rate is higher, the overall cost for completing AI or HPC workloads can be lower with H100 due to reduced compute time. Cyfuture Cloud positions itself at the forefront with competitive pricing on H100 GPU instances, offering flexible, cost-effective options that help optimize total cost of ownership alongside performance benefits.

Cost Comparison Details

Direct Hourly Cost

- At many cloud providers, NVIDIA A100 GPU instances typically cost around $1.35 to $1.50 per hour.

- NVIDIA H100 GPU instances are priced higher, ranging from about $1.90 to $3.50 per hour depending on the exact model (PCIe or SXM) and cloud vendor.

- For example, some market benchmarks show H100 costs about 30-80% more per hour than A100, although this gap is narrowing due to increased availability and competition.​

Performance Efficiency and Total Cost of Workload

- The H100 GPU offers roughly 2-3x the performance of the A100 in training times due to architectural improvements such as more CUDA cores, higher memory bandwidth, and advanced AI features.

- This means H100 can complete AI workloads faster, reducing the total compute time and sometimes resulting in a lower overall cost for the workload despite the higher hourly rate.

- An example calculation: a 4-GPU A100 cluster running for 10 hours may cost $50 total, while a similarly sized H100 cluster running the same workload in 4 hours may cost $40 total, demonstrating potential cost savings with H100 through efficiency.​

Cyfuture Cloud’s Competitive GPU Pricing and Offers

- Cyfuture Cloud offers both NVIDIA H100 and A100 instances with transparent pricing models that cater to startups and enterprises.

- Their H100 GPU cloud servers come with flexible pay-as-you-go and reserved plans designed to optimize cost without sacrificing performance.

- Cyfuture Cloud leverages the latest infrastructure with NVLink and NVSwitch technologies to maximize performance and scalability, making their H100 instances a cost-effective choice for cutting-edge AI workloads.

- They provide technical support and ease of access to GPU resources, emphasizing cost-effectiveness and reliability that rival the major cloud providers.​

Follow-Up Questions

Q: Which GPU is better for cost-sensitive AI projects?
A: For projects with tight budget constraints but moderate performance needs, the A100 may be more appropriate due to its lower hourly cost. However, if workload speed and efficiency are priorities, H100’s higher performance may result in overall lower costs.

Q: How does reserved pricing affect GPU costs?
A: Reserved pricing offers discounts on hourly rates in exchange for committing to longer terms (e.g., 6 or 12 months), significantly reducing costs on both H100 and A100 instances, available from providers like Cyfuture Cloud.

Q: Is there a performance difference beyond cost between H100 and A100?
A: Yes, the H100 features enhanced architecture, including more CUDA cores, greater memory bandwidth, and native support for newer AI features like FP8 precision, which deliver better scalability and future-proofing compared to A100.

Conclusion

The NVIDIA H100 GPU instances are more costly per hour than the A100, with typical rates around 30-80% higher, but offer 2-3x the performance, reducing overall compute time and potentially lowering total workload cost. Cyfuture Cloud provides competitively priced H100 and A100 GPU instances with flexible billing and robust performance, making it a compelling choice for cost-efficient AI infrastructure.​