Granite 20B TPS calculator

Open weights IBM Research 20B parameters May 2024

Each card below is assessed against this model at the context length and minimum quality you choose. Speed is an estimate for a single request, calculated from the card's memory bandwidth and the size of the model once compressed.

Calculated for this model

293 cards that can run it

818 cards we hold specifications for

Smallest card that fits

Quadro K6000

12 GB · Q3_K_M · 14.0 tok/s

Fastest card

B200

169 tok/s · 180 GB

Which GPUs can run Granite 20B?

Set the inputs, read the answer

Context length tokens

A longer conversation needs more memory, which can push this model off smaller cards.

Minimum quality

Hides cards that would only fit the model by compressing it below this point.

Search cards

Card memory

Also show cards that cannot run it

293 cards match

Calculating

					Needs	Quantisation	Fit
169 tok/s 102–271 · low confidence	B200 NVIDIA	180 GB	8,000 GB/s	Jan 2024	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
169 tok/s 102–271 · low confidence	B300 NVIDIA	288 GB	8,000 GB/s	Sep 2025	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
135 tok/s 81–216 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI350X AMD	288 GB	8,190 GB/s	Jan 2025	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
135 tok/s 81–216 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI355X AMD	288 GB	8,190 GB/s	Jan 2025	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
108 tok/s 65–173 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI300 AMD	128 GB	6,550 GB/s	Jan 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
104 tok/s 62–166 · low confidence	H200 NVL NVIDIA	141 GB	4,890 GB/s	Nov 2024	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
104 tok/s 62–166 · low confidence	H200 SXM 141 GB NVIDIA	141 GB	4,890 GB/s	Nov 2024	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
99.1 tok/s 59–159 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI325X AMD	256 GB	6,000 GB/s	Oct 2024	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
88.0 tok/s 53–141 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI300A AMD	128 GB	5,325 GB/s	Dec 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
88.0 tok/s 53–141 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI300X AMD	192 GB	5,325 GB/s	Dec 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
88.0 tok/s 53–141 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI308X AMD	192 GB	5,325 GB/s	Dec 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
83.4 tok/s 50–134 · low confidence	H100 NVL 94 GB NVIDIA	94 GB	3,940 GB/s	Mar 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
71.2 tok/s 43–114 · low confidence	H100 PCIe 96 GB NVIDIA	96 GB	3,360 GB/s	Mar 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
71.2 tok/s 43–114 · low confidence	H100 SXM5 80 GB NVIDIA	80 GB	3,360 GB/s	Oct 2022	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
71.2 tok/s 43–114 · low confidence	H100 SXM5 94 GB NVIDIA	94 GB	3,360 GB/s	Mar 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
71.2 tok/s 43–114 · low confidence	H100 SXM5 96 GB NVIDIA	96 GB	3,360 GB/s	Mar 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
71.2 tok/s 43–114 · low confidence	H800 SXM5 NVIDIA	80 GB	3,360 GB/s	Mar 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
55.2 tok/s 33–88 · low confidence	Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB NVIDIA	16 GB	1,130 GB/s	Nov 2019	12.8 GB	Q4_K_M	Tight
54.2 tok/s 33–87 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI250 AMD	128 GB	3,280 GB/s	Nov 2021	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
54.2 tok/s 33–87 · low confidence	Radeon Instinct MI250X AMD	128 GB	3,280 GB/s	Nov 2021	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
52.1 tok/s 31–83 · low confidence	GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB NVIDIA	12 GB	912 GB/s	Jan 2022	10.5 GB	Q3_K_M	Tight
52.1 tok/s 31–83 · low confidence	GeForce RTX 3080 Ti NVIDIA	12 GB	912 GB/s	May 2021	10.5 GB	Q3_K_M	Tight
46.9 tok/s 28–75 · low confidence	GeForce RTX 5080 NVIDIA	16 GB	960 GB/s	Jan 2025	12.8 GB	Q4_K_M	Tight
45.2 tok/s 27–72 · low confidence	Data Center GPU Max 1550 Intel	128 GB	3,280 GB/s	Jan 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable
44.2 tok/s 27–71 · low confidence	Data Center GPU Max Subsystem Intel	128 GB	3,210 GB/s	Jan 2023	22.1 GB	Q8_0	Comfortable

Speeds are estimates for a single request — one conversation at a time — calculated from memory bandwidth, model size and quantisation. Real throughput varies with the inference runtime and its version. Figures published by hardware vendors measure many simultaneous requests and are much higher.

On record

Full specification

Everything on record for this model. Most of it describes how it was trained rather than how it runs — useful context for judging how much work went into it, and how it compares with models built at a different scale.

Origin

Who built this model, where, and when it was published.

Organisation: IBM Research
Organisation type: Industry
Country: United States of America
Published: 31 May 2024
Authors: IBM Research

What it does

The problem areas the model was built for. A model can carry several of each.

Domain: Language
Task: Language modeling/generation

Size

How large the model is and how much data it was trained on. Parameters are the figure that decides whether it fits on a given graphics card.

Parameters: 20B
Training data: 2,500,000,000,000 tokens

Training compute

The arithmetic performed to train the model, measured in floating-point operations. It is a measure of what the training run cost, not of how fast the finished model answers you.

Training compute: 3 × 10²³ FLOP
How it was established: Operation counting

Availability

Whether you can obtain the model and run it on your own hardware, which is what decides if any of the graphics-card figures on this page apply.

Weights: Open — downloadable
Model access: Open weights (unrestricted)
Training code: Unreleased
Hugging Face: ibm-granite

How it is classified

Labels the source dataset applies when tracking notable models, and how confident it is in the entry.

Likely above 10²³ FLOP: Yes
Record confidence: Confident

Sources

Where this record came from and when it was last checked.

Reference: Granite Foundation Models
Last updated: 28 November 2025

The extremes

The ten fastest GPUs that run Granite 20B

Ranked by estimated tokens per second, newest card first where speeds tie. Because generation is bound by memory bandwidth, this ordering follows bandwidth rather than any gaming benchmark.

The smallest GPUs that still run Granite 20B

The cheapest route in, by memory capacity. A tight fit runs the model but leaves nothing spare for a longer conversation.

What the numbers mean

The hardware side

Minimum card

Quadro K6000

Memory needed

10.5 GB

Fastest

169 tok/s

Granite 20B reaches a parameter count of 20B. That lands in the range a serious desktop card can handle once the weights are compressed. The number of cards we track that can run it: 293.

At the low end it is handled by Quadro K6000, with a memory capacity of 12 GB, running it at a compression of Q3_K_M and producing around 14.0 tokens per second.

The quickest result comes from B200, generating roughly 169 tokens per second on the strength of a memory bandwidth of 8,000 GB/s.

About this model

Granite 20B was published by IBM Research, in the country recorded as United States of America, during May 2024. The category the publisher falls under is industry.

It works in the domain of Language, and is recorded as performing the task of language modeling/generation.

The weights being open is what puts this page in the calculator rather than only in the catalogue: it is a model you can actually hold. On Hugging Face it is published under the organisation ibm-granite.

How fast it runs, and why

The median result is around 20.6 tokens per second. Clearing the ten tokens per second that roughly matches reading speed: 248 of them.

Being dense, it reads all of itself per token, which is why the ordering by speed below follows the ordering by memory bandwidth so closely.

Its internal architecture is not on file, so memory is approximated from the parameter count and marked accordingly. Expect the real figure to differ, more so at long context.

Training and provenance

Producing it required arithmetic totalling around 3 × 10²³ FLOP. That figure measures what producing the model cost, and has no bearing on how fast it answers.

It was trained on a corpus of about 2,500,000,000,000 tokens of text.

Step by step

How to choose a GPU for Granite 20B

The table above has already assessed every card we hold specifications for against this model. Getting to your answer takes six steps.

01

Start from the memory column

Every card here has been checked against Granite 20B, needing around 10.5 GB at a compression of Q3_K_M. Capacity is the gate — a card either holds it or it does not.
02

Match the context to your actual use

The conversation occupies memory too, and grows as it goes. Set the slider to the length you expect, because at long context a card that handles short questions easily can be dropped by Granite 20B.
03

Decide how much compression you will accept

Each card runs the least-compressed copy it can hold, reaching a compression of Q3_K_M on the smallest card that fits. Setting a minimum quality drops the cards that only manage it by squeezing further than you would want, and holds the comparison at one level.
04

Rank by throughput rather than spec sheet

Ranking by tokens per second follows memory bandwidth rather than core counts, for Granite 20B. It will not match a gaming ordering, because generation is bound by memory bandwidth. The card topping the list is B200, at 169 tok/s.
05

Look at the headroom, not just the fit

A tight fit runs, but leaves nothing spare for a longer conversation, in the case of Granite 20B. Comfortable means you can grow the context later. That difference matters more than a few tokens per second, so buy for comfortable if you expect to.
06

See what else that card runs

Every card name links to its own page, which runs the same calculation across the whole model catalogue. A card is usually bought for more than one model, so it is worth a look before buying for Granite 20B.

Answers

Granite 20B — common questions

Granite 20B— when was it released?

It was published in May 2024. Capability per parameter has improved considerably since, so a newer model of the same size is often the better use of the same hardware.

Granite 20B— what is it used for?

It works in the domain of Language, and is recorded as handling the task of language modeling/generation. Models frequently carry more than one of each, and the tags describe purpose rather than capability limits.

Granite 20B— where can I download it?

Its weights are published on Hugging Face, under the organisation ibm-granite. We do not host model files — this site calculates what hardware is needed to run them.

Granite 20B— how much compute was used to train it?

Training consumed around 3 × 10²³ FLOP. That measures what producing the model cost and says nothing about how quickly it answers once trained — inference speed comes from memory bandwidth, not from the training budget.

Granite 20B— can I run it if it does not fit in my GPU?

Partly. Layers that do not fit sit in system memory and run at a fraction of the speed, so a mostly-offloaded model is rarely worth using. The nearest miss we calculate falls short by 2.9 GB. Every figure here assumes the whole model is resident on the card.

Granite 20B— would two GPUs run it faster?

Capacity adds across cards; throughput does not. The number of cards already holding it on their own: 293. So a second card is rarely the answer here.

Granite 20B— why does the quantisation differ between cards?

Because capacity varies, so does how hard it has to be squeezed. The number of distinct levels in the table above: 4. Bigger cards get the more accurate version, and the quality floor above pins the comparison to one level.

Granite 20B— how accurate are these speed estimates?

Every figure is derived from memory bandwidth and model size, not benchmarked, which is why each is published as a range rather than a single number. One example: 102–271 tok/s on B200. The same model and card vary by thirty to fifty per cent depending on the inference software and its version.

Granite 20B— what GPU do I need to run it?

The smallest card in our catalogue that holds it is Quadro K6000, with a memory capacity of 12 GB. It runs the model at a compression of Q3_K_M using about 10.5 GB, and produces roughly 14.0 tokens per second. The number of cards able to run it in total: 293.

Granite 20B— how fast is it on a GPU?

It depends on the card. The quickest we calculate is B200, at about 169 tokens per second; the slowest that still runs it manages considerably less. Reading speed is around ten tokens per second, and the number of cards clearing that: 248.

Granite 20B— how much VRAM does it need?

It needs about 10.5 GB at a compression of Q3_K_M, which is what the smallest card that runs it uses. Less compression needs more: the figures in the memory column above are recalculated for each card, because each one holds the least-compressed version it can.

Granite 20B— can I run it on a GPU holding 12 GB?

Yes. The card GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, holding 12 GB, runs it at a compression of Q3_K_M, using about 10.5 GB and generating roughly 52.1 tokens per second. The fit is tight.

Granite 20B— can I run it on a GPU holding 16 GB?

Yes. The card Tesla V100 SXM2 16 GB, holding 16 GB, runs it at a compression of Q4_K_M, using about 12.8 GB and generating roughly 55.2 tokens per second. The fit is tight.

Granite 20B— can I run it on a GPU holding 24 GB?

Yes. The card GeForce RTX 5090 D V2, holding 24 GB, runs it at a compression of Q6_K, using about 17.5 GB and generating roughly 41.2 tokens per second. The fit is comfortable.

Granite 20B— is it open source?

Its weights are published, so it can be downloaded and run on your own hardware. Note that open weights is not the same as open source in the full sense — it says nothing about the training data, the training code, or the commercial terms attached.

Granite 20B— how many parameters does it have?

It has a parameter count of 20B. That figure is the total, and it is what decides how much memory the model needs — roughly half a gigabyte per billion at the compression most people use.

Granite 20B— who created it?

It was published by IBM Research, based in United States of America, an organisation categorised as industry.

Source

Original publication

Record last updated 28 November 2025

The other direction

Looking at it from the other side?

This page starts from the model. If you already own a card and want to know everything it will run, start from the hardware instead.

All AI models