AWS EC2 R8g instances powered by the latest Graviton4 processors are GA!
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the new Amazon EC2 R8g instances are GA. The latest AWS Graviton4 processors power these new instances. This release marks a significant advancement in cloud computing performance and energy efficiency, particularly for memory-intensive workloads.
The AWS Graviton4 processor, touted as the company’s most powerful and energy-efficient to date, delivers up to 30% better performance than its predecessor, the Graviton3. This improvement is particularly beneficial for demanding applications like high-performance databases, in-memory caches, and real-time big data analytics.
Initially announced during re:Invent 2023, the new instances have been tested by over 100 customers, including industry giants like Epic Games, SmugMug, and SAP. The results are impressive, with SmugMug reporting performance improvements of 20-40% for its image and data compression operations.
The R8g instances deliver significant advancements over previous versions, including:
- Up to 3x more vCPUs (maximum of 192)
- Up to 3x more memory (maximum of 1.5TB)
- 75% more memory bandwidth
- 2x more L2 cache
- Increased network bandwidth (up to 50 Gbps)
- Enhanced EBS bandwidth (up to 40 Gbps)
Notably, R8g instances are the first in the Graviton family to offer bare metal options, allowing direct access to physical resources for specific workloads.
Graviton4 Rg8 instance specs.
| Instance Size | vCPUs | Memory | Network Bandwidth | EBS Bandwidth |
| r8g.medium | 1 | 8 GiB | up to 12.5 Gbps | up to 10 Gbps |
| r8g.large | 2 | 16 GiB | up to 12.5 Gbps | up to 10 Gbps |
| r8g.xlarge | 4 | 32 GiB | up to 12.5 Gbps | up to 10 Gbps |
| r8g.2xlarge | 8 | 64 GiB | up to 15 Gbps | up to 10 Gbps |
| r8g.4xlarge | 16 | 128 GiB | up to 15 Gbps | up to 10 Gbps |
| r8g.8xlarge | 32 | 256 GiB | 15 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| r8g.12xlarge | 48 | 384 GiB | 22.5 Gbps | 15 Gbps |
| r8g.16xlarge | 64 | 512 GiB | 30 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
| r8g.24xlarge | 96 | 768 GiB | 40 Gbps | 30 Gbps |
| r8g.48xlarge | 192 | 1,536 GiB | 50 Gbps | 40 Gbps |
| r8g.metal-24xl | 96 | 768 GiB | 40 Gbps | 30 Gbps |
| r8g.metal-48xl | 192 | 1,536 GiB | 50 Gbps | 40 Gbps |
AWS emphasizes the environmental benefits of these new instances, stating that R8g instances provide the best energy efficiency for memory-intensive workloads in EC2. This is in line with the increasing customer demand for more environmentally friendly computing choices.
Built on the AWS Nitro System, the new system enhances performance and security by offloading essential functions to dedicated hardware. Furthermore, Graviton4 processors enhance security by fully encrypting all high-speed physical hardware interfaces.
R8g instances are now available in select AWS regions, including US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), and Europe (Frankfurt). Instances are available with various pricing models, including On-Demand, Reserved Instances, Spot Instances, and Savings Plans.
This latest launch underlines AWS’s strong commitment to its custom silicon strategy. With over 2 million Graviton processors built and more than 50,000 customers using Graviton-based instances, the company’s dedication to innovation is evident.
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