New EPYC Milan-powered AWS instance could be just what you've been waiting for

AWS
(Image credit: AWS)

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched new memory-optimized Amazon EC2 R6a instances featuring AMD EPYC (Milan) processors.

First rolled out in 2006, AWS's EC2 instances allow users to run virtual machines on the company's cloud platform.

If you're a fan of running memory-intensive workloads in the cloud then you might be in luck, as AWS says the newest instances are ideal for high-performance database software such as relational databases and noSQL databases, distributed web scale in-memory caches such as Memcached and Redis, and in-memory databases including real-time big data analytics such as Hadoop and Spark clusters.

What do users get?

AWS says the new instances deliver up to 35% better price performance compared to R5a instances, and at a 10% lower cost than comparable x86-based EC2 instances.

In addition, AWS says R6a instances feature an 8:1 ratio of memory to vCPU, just like R5a instances and support increased sizes up to 192 vCPUs per instance. 

R6a instances are apparently SAP-Certified and support SAP Business Suite.

The specs of R6a instances vary significantly with the lowest performance instance "r6a.large" supporting 16 GiB of memory and network bandwidth of up to 12.5 Gbps.

In contrast, the highest performing R6a instance "r6a.metal" offers a whooping memory of up to 1536 GIB and network bandwidth of up to 50 Gbps.

Amazon has been pretty busy when it comes to rolling out new EC2 instances, users can now rent and run an M1 Mac Mini in the cloud.

Where can I sign up?

Users can launch R6a instances today in the AWS US East (N. Virginia, Ohio), US West (Oregon), Asia Pacific (Mumbai), and Europe (Frankfurt, Ireland).

 To learn more about the new offering, head to Amazon's R6a instances page.

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Will McCurdy has been writing about technology for over five years. He has a wide range of specialities including cybersecurity, fintech, cryptocurrencies, blockchain, cloud computing, payments, artificial intelligence, retail technology, and venture capital investment. He has previously written for AltFi, FStech, Retail Systems, and National Technology News and is an experienced podcast and webinar host, as well as an avid long-form feature writer.