NVIDIA A2 GPU: 16GB Low-Profile Inference

Home
Accelerators
Nvidia
NVIDIA A2

Entry-Level Inference GPU

Overview

Add AI to Any Server for Under 60 Watts

The NVIDIA A2 is the most affordable way to bring GPU-accelerated inference into your data center or edge environment. At just 40-60 watts (configurable) in a single-slot, low-profile card with a PCIe Gen4 x8 interface, it fits into servers that weren't designed for GPU acceleration, including 1U rack servers, tower servers, and compact edge platforms.

With 16GB of GDDR6 memory and third-generation Tensor Cores on the Ampere architecture, the A2 delivers up to 20X more inference performance than a CPU-only server. It won't train large models or run demanding graphics, and it's not designed to. The A2 exists for one purpose: making it simple and inexpensive to add inference capabilities to your existing infrastructure.

For organizations deploying intelligent video analytics at retail locations, running inference at manufacturing sites, or adding basic AI to branch office servers, the A2 is the entry point that gets you started without a major investment.

A2 vs. L4: Do You Need More?

The A2 handles basic inference at the lowest cost. The L4 delivers significantly more performance with FP8 support, double the PCIe bandwidth, and 50% more memory. If you're not sure which you need, we can help.

	A2	L4
Architecture	Ampere	Ada Lovelace
Memory	16GB GDDR6	24GB GDDR6
PCIe Interface	Gen4 x8	Gen4 x16
TDP	40-60W	72W
FP8 Tensor	N/A	485 TFLOPS
AV1 Encode	No	Yes

Compare All GPUs in Our Matrix

40W

Min Configurable TDP

16GB

GDDR6 Memory

20x

FP8 TFLOPS (Sparse)

PCIe Gen4 (Slot-Powered)

Compatible Servers

Dell PowerEdge Servers That Support the A2

The A2's ultra-low-profile, slot-powered, x8 design fits into virtually any Dell PowerEdge server with a half-height PCIe slot.

Dell PowerEdge R760

Mainstream Inference

16th Gen Intel Xeon 2U server
Add A2 for inference alongside existing workloads

View Server

Dell PowerEdge R660

1U Deployment

16th Gen Intel Xeon 1U server
A2 fits where larger GPUs can't

View Server

Dell PowerEdge R650

1U Budget

15th Gen Intel Xeon 1U server
Refurbished + A2 = lowest-cost AI server

View Server

Dell PowerEdge R750

Refurbished Value

15th Gen Intel Xeon 2U workhorse
Pair with A2 for affordable edge AI

View Server

Dell PowerEdge XR7620

Edge / Rugged

16th Gen edge-optimized server
A2 for retail, factory, and field AI

View Server

Dell PowerEdge T560

Tower / Lab

16th Gen tower server
Easy A2 install for development and testing

View Server

View Full GPU Compatibility Matrix

Use Cases

Where the A2 Makes Sense

Lower Power and Configurable TDP

NVIDIA A2 is optimized for inference workloads and deployments in entry-level servers constrained by space and thermal requirements, such as 5G edge and industrial environments. A2 delivers a low-profile form factor operating in a low-power envelope, from a TDP of 60W down to 40W, making it ideal for any server.

Edge AI & Intelligent Video Analytics

The A2 was designed for edge inference: smart retail, traffic monitoring, industrial inspection, and security analytics. Its 40-60W configurable TDP means it runs in thermally constrained environments like retail back-rooms and factory floors. Drop it into an existing edge server to add real-time object detection, classification, and video analytics without changing your power or cooling infrastructure.

Entry-Level AI Inference

For organizations just getting started with AI, the A2 removes the barrier to entry. It accelerates popular frameworks like TensorRT, Triton Inference Server, and ONNX Runtime out of the box. Deploy it for recommendation engines, fraud detection, chatbot backends, or any inference workload where response time matters more than model size.

Lightweight Virtual Desktops

With vGPU software support (vPC, vApps, RTX vWS), the A2 can power basic GPU-accelerated virtual desktops for users who need smoother video playback, better browser performance, and GPU-backed Office applications. It won't match the A16's user density, but at a fraction of the cost and power draw, it's a sensible starting point for small VDI pilots.

Video Transcoding & Streaming

The A2 includes hardware video encode and decode engines with AV1 decode support. For smaller-scale streaming, transcoding, and video processing pipelines, it handles the workload without requiring a higher-end GPU. When your video volume grows beyond what the A2 can handle, the L4 is the natural step up.

Specifications

NVIDIA A2 Tensor Core GPU

Specification	A2
GPU Architecture	NVIDIA Ampere
GPU Memory	16GB GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	200 GB/s
Interconnect	PCIe Gen4 x8
FP32	4.5 TFLOPS
TF32 Tensor Core	9 / 18 TFLOPS*
BFLOAT16 Tensor Core	18 / 36 TFLOPS*
FP16 Tensor Core	18 / 36 TFLOPS*
INT8 Tensor Core	36 / 72 TOPS*
INT4 Tensor Core	72 / 144 TOPS*
RT Cores	10
NVENC / NVDEC	1× / 2× (includes AV1 decode)
Max TDP	40-60W (configurable)
Power Connector	None (slot-powered)
Form Factor	Single-slot, low-profile PCIe
Thermal	Passive
vGPU Support	vPC, vApps, RTX vWS, vCS, AI Enterprise
Secure Boot	Yes (Root of Trust, optional)
NEBS Ready	Level 3

* Dense / Sparse.

View Datasheet

Starting Your First GPU Deployment?

The A2 is the lowest-cost entry point for GPU-accelerated AI. ServerMonkey can help you pick the right server to pair it with.

Request a Quote

NVIDIA A2

Add AI to Any Server for Under 60 Watts

A2 vs. L4: Do You Need More?

Dell PowerEdge Servers That Support the A2

Dell PowerEdge R760

Dell PowerEdge R660

Dell PowerEdge R650

Dell PowerEdge R750

Dell PowerEdge XR7620

Dell PowerEdge T560

Where the A2 Makes Sense

Lower Power and Configurable TDP

Edge AI & Intelligent Video Analytics

Entry-Level AI Inference

Lightweight Virtual Desktops

Video Transcoding & Streaming

NVIDIA A2 Tensor Core GPU

Starting Your First GPU Deployment?

What are you looking for?

Get to Know Us

Resources

What We Do

Customer Service

Follow Us