EC2 X8i Instances Expand to Asia Pacific Regions

EC2 X8i instances are now available in three additional Asia Pacific regions, bringing their high-performance memory capabilities closer to users.

What changed

• Amazon EC2 X8i instances are now available in the Asia Pacific (Seoul), Asia Pacific (Malaysia), and Asia Pacific (Tokyo) regions.
• These instances are powered by custom Intel Xeon 6 processors.
• X8i instances offer up to 1.5x more memory capacity (up to 6TB) and 3.3x more memory bandwidth compared to X2i instances.

Why it matters

This expansion makes the high-performance X8i instances, featuring custom Intel Xeon 6 processors, accessible in three key Asia Pacific markets. These instances are designed for memory-intensive workloads such as SAP HANA, large databases, and Electronic Design Automation (EDA), promising substantial performance improvements over the previous X2i generation. For workloads like SAP HANA, expect up to 50% higher SAPS performance. This move is particularly relevant for organizations running these demanding applications in the specified regions, potentially reducing latency and improving operational efficiency without requiring immediate application refactoring. The availability of bare metal options also caters to specific compliance or performance needs.

The catch

While the performance gains are clearly articulated, the announcement lacks specific pricing details for these new regions. The honest version: AWS typically introduces new instance types with a pricing premium that may not be immediately apparent until deployment or detailed cost analysis. Furthermore, the announcement does not specify the availability of all 14 instance sizes, including the bare metal options, in each of the newly added regions. Users should verify exact configurations in their target region.

Ship it

If you are running memory-intensive workloads like SAP HANA, large databases, or EDA tools and have infrastructure in or near the Asia Pacific (Seoul), Asia Pacific (Malaysia), or Asia Pacific (Tokyo) regions, evaluate migrating to X8i instances. Compare current X2i instance costs and performance against X8i instance pricing and benchmark results in your specific workload. Consider using AWS Compute Savings Plans for these instances to achieve further cost reductions.

Bottom line: EC2 X8i instances are now available in more Asia Pacific regions, offering significant memory performance gains for demanding workloads.

*— Filed to /aws