Expert compares AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 workstation costs against cloud AI services

A recent analysis by Puget Systems evaluates the cost-effectiveness of running local AI inference using a dual-GPU AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 workstation compared to cloud-based subscription models. The $18,775 rig, featuring 64GB of total VRAM, demonstrated that high-volume AI usage can significantly reduce operational expenses. By utilizing Multi-Token Prediction, the system achieved throughputs of 320.2 tokens per second, allowing it to outperform expensive cloud services like GPT-5.6 Sol in cost after only 3.5 hours of weekly use. However, the study notes that local hardware is less cost-effective for lighter workloads or cheaper models like GPT-5.6 Luna. Furthermore, while local setups offer substantial savings for heavy users, they may sacrifice reasoning quality compared to top-tier cloud models. The findings suggest that businesses must balance infrastructure investment against specific performance requirements and token volume to determine if local AI hardware provides a genuine financial advantage.