How Much Is the PCB Inside an NVIDIA DGX A100 Worth? A Deep Dive

This article dissects the PCB composition of an AI server, using NVIDIA's DGX A100 as a benchmark, to give readers a concrete understanding of server internals and the true value of PCB components during future upgrades.

1. Five major hardware sections

The AI server can be divided into five hardware blocks: the fan module, storage, GPU board tray, CPU motherboard tray, and power module.

1) Fan module – located at the front, consisting of eight fans, matching typical 8U servers.

2) Storage – beneath the fan module are eight 3.84 TB drives, totaling 30 TB.

3) GPU board tray – the rear section houses the core AI components: GPU boards, module boards, and NVSwitch, each involving distinct PCB types.

4) CPU motherboard tray – the central component for all servers, containing the CPU motherboard, system memory, NICs, and PCIe switches, which are the primary PCB consumers.

5) Power module – the rear lower area includes six power supplies that use thick‑copper PCBs.

From a functional perspective, the PCB value of an AI server can be grouped into three parts: the GPU board (core), the CPU motherboard (essential), and the auxiliary modules (fan, storage, power).

2. GPU board group – total unit value ¥12,250 (board 52%, PCB 48%)

The GPU board consists of four PCB parts: GPU carrier board, NVSwitch, OAM (GPU accelerator card), and UBB (unit baseboard).

1) GPU carrier board – uses 70‑100 mm, 14‑16‑layer FCBGA boards; each of the eight GPUs requires one board, valued at about ¥650 each, totaling ¥5,200.

2) NVSwitch – a high‑speed interconnect module; each unit is valued at ¥195, with six units per server, totaling ¥1,170.

3) OAM – GPU accelerator card; eight cards per server, each covering ~0.03 m². Using 20‑layer Ultra Low Loss CCL for the SXM version (¥12,000/m²) or 14‑layer for the PCIe version (¥7,000/m²), the estimated unit value is ¥2,880.

4) UBB – unit baseboard supporting the whole GPU platform; one board per server, about 0.30 m², 26‑layer, Ultra Low Loss CCL, priced at ¥10,000/m², giving a unit value of ¥3,000.

Combined, the GPU board area is 0.624 m² with a total PCB value of ¥12,250, where carrier boards account for 52% (¥6,370) and PCB‑level products 48% (¥5,880).

3. CPU motherboard group – unit value ¥2,845 (carrier 46%, motherboard 40%)

The CPU motherboard group includes CPU carrier boards, the main motherboard, and various functional boards (memory, NIC, expansion, storage driver).

1) CPU carrier board – similar to GPU carrier; two per server, each valued at ¥1,300.

2) CPU motherboard – hosts a 64‑core AMD Rome CPU, PCIe 4.0 switch, TPM, etc.; 10‑12‑layer Low Loss CCL, ~0.38 m², priced at ¥3,000/m², yielding ¥1,140.

3) Functional boards – typically 8‑10‑layer Mid‑Loss CCL, ¥1,500/m². Estimated total area 0.27 m², giving a value of ¥405.

Overall, the CPU motherboard group occupies 0.662 m² with a total value of ¥2,845, split into carrier boards (46%), main board (40%), and functional boards (14%).

4. Other accessories – total unit value ¥226

Includes power supplies, hard drives, and the front console board. These use 6‑10‑layer FR4/Mid‑Loss CCL, priced between ¥1,000‑¥1,500/m².

1) Power supplies – six units; each PCB area ≈0.019 m².

2) Hard drives – eight 3.5" drives; each PCB area ≈0.008 m².

3) Front console board – one board between the drives; PCB area ≈0.010 m².

Summing all sections, the DGX A100 uses approximately 1.474 m² of PCB, with a total unit value of ¥15,321. The GPU board accounts for ¥12,000 (≈80%), the CPU motherboard ¥2,845 (≈19%), and other accessories ¥226 (≈1%). At the board‑level, carrier‑board value is ¥7,670 (50.1%) and PCB‑level value is ¥7,651 (49.9%).