Will It Run AI

Can Phi 3 Medium 14B run on Gaudi 3 128GB?

YES — Runs Great

B57Good
Estimated from fit model

Phi 3 Medium 14B needs ~25.3 GB VRAM. Gaudi 3 128GB has 128.0 GB. With Q4_K_M quantization, expect ~196 tok/s.

Runtime: llama.cppCapacity: RoomyBandwidth: HighStack: StandardBottleneck: Balanced
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Operating mode

Choose the run profile you care about

Interactive favors responsiveness, while light API and scale-out lean harder on serving readiness. The fit stays the same, but the recommendation lens changes.

Current mode

Balanced

Balanced for general local use. Keeps the ranking neutral across personal and serving workflows.

Capabilities:

Select quantization to explore

Q4_K_M (Medium quality) — 25.3 GB, 196.0 tok/s, Runs well
25.3 GB required128.0 GB available
20% VRAM used

Fit status

Runs well

Decode

196.0 tok/s

TTFT

988 ms

Safe context

128K

Memory

25.3 GB / 128.0 GB

Memory breakdown

Weights8.5 GB
KV Cache3.1 GB
Runtime0.9 GB
Headroom12.8 GB

See how fast it feels

See how fast it feelsPhi 3 Medium 14B on Gaudi 3 128GB
1st promptCold start — includes initialization
>Solve: If a train travels at 60 mph for 2.5 hours, how far does it go?
Let me work through this step by step. Given information: - Speed = 60 mph (miles per hour) - Time = 2.5 hours Formula: Distance = Speed x Time Calculation: Distance = 60 mph x 2.5 h = 150 miles The train travels 150 miles. Double-check: at 60 mph the train covers 60 miles each hour. In half an hour it covers 30 miles. So in 2.5 hours: 60 + 60 + 30 = 150 miles. Confirmed.
2nd promptWarm — model ready, no init overhead
>What if the train stops for 20 minutes halfway?
The stop doesn't change the total distance covered while moving, but it affects total trip time. Breakdown: - First half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles - Stop: 20 minutes (no distance) - Second half: 1.25 hours at 60 mph = 75 miles Total distance: 150 miles (same) Total time: 2.5 h + 0.33 h = 2.83 hours Average speed: 150 / 2.83 = 53 mph The distance stays the same but average speed drops to 53 mph because of the stop.
Estimated: 196.0 tok/s decode · 988ms TTFT (warm) · 490 tok/s prefill

What limits this setup

The raw memory story may look fine, but the software ecosystem is still a constraint here.

Runtime ecosystem is narrower than CUDA

Intel GPUs can look attractive on memory per dollar, but local AI tooling, kernels, and model coverage are still broader and easier on CUDA today.

Best improvement path

Prefer CUDA if you want the path of least resistance

If your goal is maximum runtime coverage, easier troubleshooting, and better support for new local AI releases, CUDA is usually still the safer upgrade path.

Performance by workload

WorkloadGradeFitDecodeTTFTContext
ChatBRuns well196.0 tok/s539 ms128K
CodingBRuns well196.0 tok/s988 ms128K
Agentic CodingBRuns well196.0 tok/s1437 ms128K
ReasoningBRuns well196.0 tok/s1167 ms128K
RAGBRuns well196.0 tok/s1796 ms128K

Quantization options

How Phi 3 Medium 14B (14B params) fits at each quantization level on Gaudi 3 128GB (128.0 GB usable).

QuantBitsVRAMQualityFit
Q2_K
2
5.5 GB
LowC49
Q3_K_S
3
6.9 GB
LowC49
NVFP4
4
7.8 GB
MediumC49
Q4_K_M
4
8.5 GB
MediumC49
Q5_K_M
5
10.1 GB
HighC49
Q6_K
6
11.5 GB
HighC49
Q8_0
8
15.0 GB
Very HighC50
F16Best for your GPU
16
28.7 GB
MaximumC51

Get started

Copy-paste commands to run Phi 3 Medium 14B on your machine.

Run

ollama run phi3:medium

Frequently asked questions

Can Gaudi 3 128GB run Phi 3 Medium 14B?

Yes, Gaudi 3 128GB can run Phi 3 Medium 14B with a B grade (Runs well). Expected decode speed: 196.0 tok/s.

How much VRAM does Phi 3 Medium 14B need?

Phi 3 Medium 14B (14B parameters) requires approximately 25.3 GB of memory with Q4_K_M quantization.

What is the best quantization for Phi 3 Medium 14B?

The recommended quantization for Phi 3 Medium 14B is Q4_K_M, which balances quality and memory efficiency.

What speed will Phi 3 Medium 14B run at on Gaudi 3 128GB?

On Gaudi 3 128GB, Phi 3 Medium 14B achieves approximately 196.0 tokens per second decode speed with a time-to-first-token of 988ms using Q4_K_M quantization.

Can Gaudi 3 128GB run Phi 3 Medium 14B for coding?

For coding workloads, Phi 3 Medium 14B on Gaudi 3 128GB receives a B grade with 196.0 tok/s and 128K context.

What context window can Phi 3 Medium 14B use on Gaudi 3 128GB?

On Gaudi 3 128GB, Phi 3 Medium 14B can safely use up to 128K tokens of context. The model's official context limit is 128K, but available memory constrains the safe maximum.

What should I upgrade first if Phi 3 Medium 14B feels slow on Gaudi 3 128GB?

Prefer CUDA if you want the path of least resistance. If your goal is maximum runtime coverage, easier troubleshooting, and better support for new local AI releases, CUDA is usually still the safer upgrade path.

Would CUDA be a better path than Gaudi 3 128GB for Phi 3 Medium 14B?

Often yes, if your goal is the easiest setup and the widest runtime support. Intel can offer attractive memory capacity, but CUDA still tends to win on tooling maturity, guides, kernels, and model coverage for local AI.

See all results for Gaudi 3 128GBSee all hardware for Phi 3 Medium 14B
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