NVIDIA H100 vs L40S: Which GPU to Choose in India?
Compare NVIDIA H100 and L40S GPUs for AI inference, training, and visual compute. Specs, performance, and pricing analysis for Indian data centres.
| Spec | NVIDIA H100 SXM | NVIDIA L40S |
|---|---|---|
| vram | 80 GB HBM3 | 48 GB GDDR6 with ECC |
| memory bandwidth | 3.35 TB/s | 864 GB/s |
| fp16 tflops | 989.4 TFLOPS (with sparsity) | 362.05 TFLOPS (with sparsity) |
| tdp | 700W | 350W |
| form factor | SXM5 | PCIe Gen4 dual-slot |
Best for Performance
NVIDIA H100 SXM
Best for Value
NVIDIA L40S
Choose NVIDIA H100 SXM if...
You are focused on large-scale LLM training, need maximum memory bandwidth for distributed training across multiple nodes, or require NVLink interconnects. The H100 is the clear leader for training throughput on transformer models.
Choose NVIDIA L40S if...
You need a versatile GPU for AI inference, visual compute, or mixed workloads at a much lower cost. The L40S fits standard PCIe slots, draws only 350W, and handles inference for models up to 30B parameters efficiently. It is also excellent for video transcoding and 3D rendering.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can the L40S replace the H100 for AI inference?
For many inference workloads, yes. The L40S offers strong FP8 and INT8 inference performance at a fraction of the H100's cost. For serving models up to 30B parameters, the L40S is often more cost-effective. However, for very large models (70B+) or latency-critical inference, the H100's superior memory bandwidth provides an advantage.
Does the L40S support NVLink?
No. The L40S is a PCIe-only GPU and does not support NVLink. For multi-GPU workloads, it relies on PCIe Gen4 interconnects. This makes it less suitable for distributed training but perfectly adequate for inference and single-GPU workloads.
Which GPU is easier to deploy in existing Indian data centre infrastructure?
The L40S is significantly easier to deploy. It uses a standard dual-slot PCIe form factor, draws only 350W, and works with air cooling. The H100 SXM requires a custom baseboard (like the HGX platform), liquid or advanced air cooling, and much higher power delivery.
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