AWS has launched Amazon EC2 C7i-flex Instances, which are said to offer a 19% improvement in price performance compared to C6i instances. These new instances are part of the EC2 Flex instance portfolio and are powered by custom 4th generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, specifically Sapphire Rapids. They come in various sizes and are recommended for compute-intensive workloads such as web servers, databases, caches, Apache Kafka, and Elasticsearch.
The C7i-flex instances are designed for applications that do not fully utilize all compute resources. They are suitable for workloads that require larger instance sizes and continuous high CPU usage. Customers are encouraged to move bursty workloads to flexible instances, but for consistent CPU usage, standard C7i instances are recommended. Monitoring CPU utilization through Amazon CloudWatch Metrics is advised, and consideration should be given to non-flexible instances for heavy processing.
Comparing Amazon EC2 C7i-flex Instances to offerings on other cloud platforms, such as Azure’s F-series instances, shows that each has its own strengths depending on specific workload requirements. Currently, the C7i-flex instances are available in several AWS regions, including US West, Europe, Canada, Asia Pacific, and South America.
Ultimately, the introduction of Amazon EC2 C7i-flex Instances provides customers with a new option for achieving better price performance for compute-intensive workloads.AWS has announced the general availability of Amazon EC2 C7i-flex Instances which the company claims offer up to 19% better price performance compared to C6i instances.
The new C7i-flex instances expand the EC2 Flex instance portfolio, providing an easier way to achieve price-performance benefits for most compute-intensive workloads. These instances are powered by custom 4th generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors (sapphire rapids), which are exclusive to AWS and offer 5% lower pricing compared to C7i instances.
C7i-flex instances, available in various sizes from large to 8xlarge, are an option for applications that do not fully utilize all compute resources. They are suitable for running web and application servers, databases, caches, Apache Kafka, and Elasticsearch. They are recommended for compute-intensive workloads that require larger instance sizes (up to 192 vCPU and 384 GiB of memory) or continuous high CPU usage. Storage is available through Amazon’s 10 Gbps Elastic Block Storage service, and networking on each instance reaches a maximum throughput of 12.5 Gb/s.
Amazon encourages customers to move more bursty workloads to its flexible instances, which may be over-provisioned due to lower chances of high concurrent demand. For consistent CPU usage, standard C7i instances are recommended. It’s unclear what happens if AWS detects a sustained workload on a flexible instance, but it may be live migrated to a more expensive SKU. The company recommends monitoring CPU utilization using CloudWatch Metrics and consider non-flexible instances for heavy processing.
Comparing EC2 Ci7-flex instances to offerings on other cloud platforms is not a direct comparison. However, Azure F-series instances They are optimized for compute and are suitable for scenarios that require faster CPUs but do not need as much memory or buffering per CPU core. Depending on an organization’s specific workload requirements, Amazon EC2 Ci7-flex instances could be supported.
Currently, C7i-flex instances are available in the following AWS regions: US West (N. California), Europe (Ireland, London, Paris, Spain, Stockholm), Canada (Central), Asia Pacific (Mumbai, Singapore) and South America (São Paulo).
In summary, AWS’s release of Amazon EC2 C7i-flex Instances introduces a new option for customers to achieve better price performance for compute-intensive workloads.Powered by custom 4th generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors, these instances offer a range of sizes and are recommended for various applications. Customers are advised to consider their workload requirements and monitor CPU utilization for optimal performance. Comparisons to other cloud platforms show unique benefits depending on the specific needs of each organization.
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https://www.infoq.com/news/2024/05/ec2-c7i-flex-instances/