Amazon EC2 X8i instances powered by custom Intel Xeon 6 processors are generally available for memory-intensive workloads | AWS News Blog (opens in new tab)

Amazon has announced the general availability of EC2 X8i instances, specifically engineered for memory-intensive workloads such as SAP HANA, large-scale databases, and data analytics. Powered by custom Intel Xeon 6 processors with a 3.9 GHz all-core turbo frequency, these instances provide a significant performance leap over the previous X2i generation. By offering up to 6 TB of memory and substantial improvements in throughput, X8i instances represent the highest-performing Intel-based memory-optimized option in the AWS cloud.

Performance Enhancements and Processor Architecture

• Custom Silicon: The instances utilize custom Intel Xeon 6 processors available exclusively on AWS, delivering the fastest memory bandwidth among comparable Intel cloud processors.
• Memory and Bandwidth: X8i provides 1.5 times more memory capacity (up to 6 TB) and 3.4 times more memory bandwidth compared to previous-generation X2i instances.
• Workload Benchmarks: Real-world performance gains include a 50% increase in SAP Application Performance Standard (SAPS), 47% faster PostgreSQL performance, 88% faster Memcached performance, and a 46% boost in AI inference.

Scalable Instance Sizes and Throughput

• Flexible Sizing: The instances are available in 14 sizes, including new larger formats such as the 48xlarge, 64xlarge, and 96xlarge.
• Bare Metal Options: Two bare metal sizes (metal-48xl and metal-96xl) are available for workloads requiring direct access to physical hardware resources.
• Networking and Storage: The architecture supports up to 100 Gbps of network bandwidth with Elastic Fabric Adapter (EFA) support and up to 80 Gbps of Amazon EBS throughput.
• Bandwidth Control: Support for Instance Bandwidth Configuration (IBC) allows users to customize the allocation of performance between networking and EBS to suit specific application needs.

Cost Efficiency and Use Cases

• Licensing Optimization: In preview testing, customers like Orion reduced SQL Server licensing costs by 50% by maintaining performance thresholds with fewer active cores compared to older instance types.
• Enterprise Applications: The instances are SAP-certified, making them ideal for RISE with SAP and other high-demand ERP environments.
• Broad Utility: Beyond databases, the instances are optimized for Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and complex data analytics that require massive memory footprints.

For organizations managing massive datasets or expensive licensed database software, migrating to X8i instances offers a clear path to both performance optimization and infrastructure cost reduction. These instances are currently available in the US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), and Europe (Ireland) regions through On-Demand, Spot, and Reserved purchasing models.