ISSCC 2026: AMD discloses how the Instinct MI355X doubled per-CU throughput despite lower compute unit count — 'We are actually matching the performance of the more expensive and complex GB200'

At ISSCC 2026, AMD revealed insights into the engineering of the Instinct MI355X AI GPU, showcasing how it doubled per-CU throughput despite having fewer compute units than its predecessor. By redesigning the matrix execution hardware and adopting a selective sharing strategy for numeric formats, AMD achieved significant performance improvements while maintaining a clean power-of-two structure. The MI355X also features an I/O die redesign with efficiency gains, a larger Local Data Share (LDS) for improved data reuse, and impressive performance numbers in MLPerf benchmarks. Despite comparisons with Nvidia's GB200, the MI355X stands out for its hardware strength and software advancements, promising continued optimization within the MI350 series as the MI400-series awaits release later this year.