In my previous announcement regarding the Nitro system, I emphasized its versatility and capacity for innovation. The Nitro system consists of a comprehensive set of components that can be configured in various ways, allowing us to swiftly design and deliver new EC2 instance types equipped with a diverse range of compute, storage, memory, and networking capabilities. Our objective is to expedite the introduction of new instance types, facilitating the development, migration, and execution of a wider variety of workloads.
Today, I am pleased to fulfill that promise with the launch of two new sizes for the Intel and AMD-powered M5 and R5 instances, complete with optional NVMe storage. These additional configurations will simplify the process of selecting an instance size that aligns perfectly with your specific workload needs.
M5 Instances
These instances are tailored for general-purpose applications, including web servers, application servers, development/testing environments, gaming, logging, and media processing. Below are the specifications:
| Instance Name | vCPUs | RAM | Storage | EBS-Optimized Bandwidth | Network Bandwidth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| m5.8xlarge | 32 | 128 GiB | EBS Only | 5 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| m5.16xlarge | 64 | 256 GiB | EBS Only | 10 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
| m5a.8xlarge | 32 | 128 GiB | EBS Only | 3.5 Gbps | Up to 10 Gbps |
| m5a.16xlarge | 64 | 256 GiB | EBS Only | 7 Gbps | 12 Gbps |
| m5d.8xlarge | 32 | 128 GiB | 2 x 600 GB NVMe SSD | 5 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| m5d.16xlarge | 64 | 256 GiB | 4 x 600 GB NVMe SSD | 10 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
If you are currently utilizing m4.10xlarge or m4.16xlarge instances, you now have multiple upgrade options. For further information, check out M5 – The Next Generation of General-Purpose EC2 Instances, New Lower-Cost, AMD-Powered M5a and R5a EC2 Instances, and EC2 Instance Update – M5 Instances with Local NVMe Storage.
R5 Instances
These instances are optimized for data mining, in-memory analytics, caching, simulations, and other memory-intensive tasks. Here are the specifications:
| Instance Name | vCPUs | RAM | Storage | EBS-Optimized Bandwidth | Network Bandwidth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| r5.8xlarge | 32 | 256 GiB | EBS Only | 5 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| r5.16xlarge | 64 | 512 GiB | EBS Only | 10 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
| r5a.8xlarge | 32 | 256 GiB | EBS Only | 3.5 Gbps | Up to 10 Gbps |
| r5a.16xlarge | 64 | 512 GiB | EBS Only | 7 Gbps | 12 Gbps |
| r5d.8xlarge | 32 | 256 GiB | 2 x 600 GB NVMe SSD | 5 Gbps | 10 Gbps |
| r5d.16xlarge | 64 | 512 GiB | 4 x 600 GB NVMe SSD | 10 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
If you are using r4.8xlarge or r4.16xlarge instances, you now have several easy and effective upgrade paths. To gain more insight, read Amazon EC2 Instance Update – Faster Processors and More Memory.
Important Considerations
Here are a few key points to remember when utilizing these new instances:
- Processor Choice – You can select either Intel or AMD EPYC processors (the instance names containing an “a”). For more details, refer to this informative blog post.
- AMIs – You can utilize the same AMIs that are compatible with your existing M5 and R5 instances.
- Regions – The new sizes are available in all AWS Regions where the existing sizes can be found.
- Local NVMe Storage – On instances marked with “d” that feature local NVMe storage, the devices are encrypted using the XTS-AES-256 block cipher along with a unique key. Each key is destroyed once the instance is stopped or terminated. The local devices have the same lifespan as the instance they are associated with and will not persist after the instance has been stopped or terminated.
Available Now
The new sizes are accessible in On-Demand, Spot, and Reserved Instance formats, and you can start leveraging them today! For further information, this website is an excellent resource.
— Alex
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