How much does an NVIDIA A100 GPU cost?
The Nvidia A100 is a high-performance GPU used in AI research, large-scale training, inference, and HPC workloads. It's based on the Ampere architecture, supports multi-instance GPU (MIG), and delivers up to 312 TFLOPs of FP16 compute. You’ll find it in cloud clusters powering LLMs, generative models, and real-time inference engines.
If you're trying to figure out how much it costs to use an A100, the answer isn’t straightforward. Prices vary significantly depending on where you rent it, whether you're getting just the GPU or an entire machine, and whether CPU, RAM, and disk are included.
This guide compares real-world A100 pricing across popular platforms and shows why Northflank offers one of the most cost-effective setups without compromising performance or reliability.
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Northflank is a full-stack AI cloud platform that helps teams build, train, and deploy models without infrastructure friction. GPU workloads, APIs, frontends, backends, and databases run together in one place so your stack stays fast, flexible, and production-ready.
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If you’re asking how much it costs to buy an A100 outright, Nvidia no longer lists retail pricing directly on its website. That said, the A100 is typically sold through Nvidia partners and OEMs.
Current ballpark pricing:
- A100 40GB PCIe: around $10,000–12,000
- A100 80GB PCIe or SXM: around $15,000–17,000
A100 40GB vs A100 80GB
Both use the same architecture, but the 80GB model has more memory and higher bandwidth. It's better suited for large models and multi-GPU setups. The 40GB version works well for smaller training runs and inference.
PCIe vs SXM
PCIe is easier to deploy and shows up in more off-the-shelf systems. SXM offers better performance with higher bandwidth and power, often used in tightly coupled multi-GPU servers.
These prices vary depending on the form factor (PCIe vs SXM), cooling setup, and included server hardware. For example, an 8x A100 node can cost upwards of $150,000 or more when bundled with CPUs, RAM, networking, and chassis.
Because of the high capital cost and power requirements, most teams choose to rent A100s in the cloud instead. It’s cheaper, easier to scale, and you only pay for what you use.
That brings us to the next question: how much does it cost to run an A100 per hour?
To make sense of A100 pricing, you need to account for more than just the GPU itself. Many platforms list low hourly rates but charge separately for the CPU, RAM, and storage needed to run workloads. Others offer bundled pricing but with tradeoffs in performance or stability.
Here’s how A100 hourly on-demand pricing break down across several popular platforms:
| Provider | A100 40GB (USD/hr) | A100 80GB (USD/hr) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northflank | $1.42 | $1.76 | Fully bundled (GPU, CPU, RAM, storage). Fast startup, no quota required, full-stack AI platform. |
| Baseten | N/A | $4.00 | Fully managed model hosting. Includes CPU, RAM, and NVMe storage. |
| RunPod | N/A | $2.17 | GPU only. Setup takes time, and automation is limited |
| Fireworks AI | N/A | $2.90 | GPU-only pricing for hosted model serving. No quotas. Fast auto-scaling. |
| Modal | $2.10 | $3.40 | GPU-only pricing. CPU and RAM billed separately. Serverless model execution. |
| AWS | $4.10 | $5.12 | May Require quota approval. Bundled node (CPU, RAM, disk). Startup takes minutes. |
| GCP | $3.67 | $5.12 | GPU bundled with VM (CPU, RAM, disk). Requires regional GPU quota. |
| Azure | $3.40 | $6.00 | Based on ND96 A100 v4 SKUs. Pricing includes CPU, RAM, and storage. Quotas apply. |
| OCI | $3.05 | $4.00 | Bare-metal A100 with full machine access (CPU, RAM, NVMe). Quota may be required. |
| Lambda Labs | $1.29 | $1.79 | Bundled pricing. Full-node access (CPU, RAM, storage) |
Many platforms make it hard to see what you're really getting. You often have to manage CPUs, memory, storage, or deal with quota approvals before you can even start. That adds friction and slows you down.
Northflank keeps things simple. You get access to A100s with everything included. GPU, CPU, memory, and storage are already set up, so you can focus on running your code, not configuring infrastructure.
Northflank is also more than just GPU hosting. It’s a full-stack platform for AI teams. You can train models, serve APIs, run frontends or backends, and manage databases all in one place. Built-in CI, logs, metrics, and autoscaling help you move faster from idea to production without switching tools or writing extra config.
If you're looking for speed, simplicity, and a complete setup that works, Northflank gives you a better way to build and deploy AI.
The A100 is a powerful GPU, but cost and usability depend entirely on where you run it. Some platforms bury you in hidden fees or make setup painful. Others seem affordable but fail on reliability.
Northflank gives you fast, consistent access to A100s with clear pricing and no extra complexity. You get everything in one place: GPU, CPU, RAM, and storage, already configured and production-ready.
If you're ready to try it yourself, sign up and deploy your first A100. If you want to see how it fits your workflow, book a quick demo.
