EC2 C8ine Instances Expand to Frankfurt, Boosting Network Performance

EC2 C8ine instances have landed in Frankfurt, bringing a ~43% performance bump over their predecessors.

What changed

• Amazon EC2 C8ine instances are now available in the AWS Europe (Frankfurt) region.
• These instances feature custom sixth-generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors and AWS Nitro cards.
• Performance claims include up to 43% higher performance than C6in instances, and up to 2x higher network throughput for traffic through Internet Gateways.

Why it matters

This expansion makes the latest generation of network-optimized EC2 instances available to a significant European customer base. The honest version: C8ine instances are designed for workloads demanding high packet processing and network throughput, such as virtual firewalls, load balancers, and 5G UPF (User Plane Function) deployments. For organizations running these types of services in Europe, migrating to Frankfurt-based C8ine instances could yield substantial performance gains, potentially reducing latency and increasing effective capacity. This move is a clear play for Telco and network appliance vendors operating within the EU.

The catch

Watch out: While AWS claims up to 2x higher network throughput for traffic through Internet Gateways, the announcement does not specify the underlying network fabric or potential bottlenecks beyond the instance itself. The stated 43% performance increase is a comparison to C6in instances, not a general benchmark. Furthermore, C8ine instances are currently only available in four regions globally (US East N. Virginia, US West Oregon, Asia Pacific Tokyo, and Europe Frankfurt), limiting their reach for truly global deployments without cross-region considerations. Pricing details are not provided, but typically, newer generation instances come at a premium.

Ship it

If you are running network virtual appliances, security services, or Telco 5G UPF workloads in Frankfurt and are currently on C6in instances, evaluate a migration to C8ine. Pairs with: AWS Transit Gateway and AWS Network Firewall for comprehensive network security and routing strategies. Consider testing with on-demand instances before committing to Savings Plans.

Bottom line: EC2 C8ine instances are now in Frankfurt, offering significant network performance improvements for specific workloads.

— Filed to /aws