NVIDIA Tesla A2 Server

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NVIDIA Tesla A2 Server is an inference-optimized data center GPU cloud server available from Immers Cloud. The A2 brings Ampere architecture to the ultra-low-power inference segment, offering improved performance over the NVIDIA Tesla T4 Server at a similar price point.

Specifications

Component Specification
GPU NVIDIA Tesla A2 (Ampere architecture)
VRAM 16 GB GDDR6
CUDA Cores 1,280
Memory Bandwidth 200 GB/s
INT8 Performance ~36 TOPS
FP16 Performance ~18 TFLOPS
TDP 60W
Starting Price From $0.25/hr

Performance

The Tesla A2 is NVIDIA's most power-efficient Ampere data center GPU:

  • 60W TDP — even lower than the T4's 70W
  • Ampere Tensor Cores — newer architecture with improved efficiency
  • 16 GB GDDR6 — same VRAM as the T4
  • Single-slot form factor — designed for dense inference deployments

Despite having fewer CUDA cores (1,280 vs T4's 2,560), the A2's Ampere architecture delivers comparable or better inference throughput for many workloads thanks to improved Tensor Core efficiency. The A2 excels at:

  • Lightweight inference models
  • Always-on prediction endpoints
  • Edge-like workloads in data center environments
  • Multi-instance deployments where many A2s serve different models

Best Use Cases

  • Lightweight ML inference (classification, NLP, OCR)
  • Always-on API endpoints for small models
  • Multi-model serving (one A2 per model)
  • Video analytics and smart camera processing
  • Recommendation system inference
  • Fraud detection and anomaly detection
  • Chatbot inference for smaller language models

Pros and Cons

Advantages

  • $0.25/hr — near-cheapest data center GPU
  • 60W TDP — most power-efficient option
  • Ampere architecture with newer Tensor Cores
  • 16 GB VRAM for inference
  • Data center-grade ECC memory
  • Compact single-slot form factor

Limitations

  • Only 1,280 CUDA cores — limited raw compute
  • 200 GB/s bandwidth is the lowest in the lineup
  • Not suitable for any training workloads
  • Lower raw TOPS than Tesla T4 for some workloads
  • Limited to lightweight models

Pricing

Available from Immers Cloud starting at $0.25/hr. Monthly cost for 24/7: approximately $180.

Recommendation

The NVIDIA Tesla A2 Server is ideal for deploying lightweight inference workloads at minimal cost. Choose the A2 over the NVIDIA Tesla T4 Server if you value Ampere architecture and lower power consumption. For heavier inference workloads, upgrade to the NVIDIA Tesla A10 Server ($0.41/hr) or NVIDIA Tesla T4 Server ($0.23/hr, more CUDA cores).

See Also