Moreover, C8i-flex variant delivers 95% performance at 5% lower cost, targeting variable workloads while expanding Amazon’s eighth-generation instance portfolio.
AWS C8i EC2 instances launched this week in general availability, powered by custom Intel Xeon 6 processors for compute-intensive workloads. Amazon’s new AWS C8i EC2 instances deliver significant performance improvements including 60% faster NGINX operations, 40% faster AI recommendation models, and 35% faster Memcached performance compared to previous-generation C7i. The AWS C8i EC2 instances include standard configurations scaling to 384 vCPUs plus cost-optimized C8i-flex variants, joining recently released R8i memory-optimized and M8i general-purpose instances in Amazon’s eighth-generation portfolio.
Amazon Web Services positions these instances for demanding compute workloads including web servers, caching systems, Apache Kafka deployments, ElasticSearch clusters, batch processing, distributed analytics, high-performance computing, ad serving, multiplayer gaming servers, and video encoding pipelines. The C8i-flex variant delivers 95% of full CPU performance 95% of the time at 5% lower cost.
AWS C8i EC2 Instances Performance Over C7i
The AWS C8i EC2 instances represent substantial performance gains compared to previous-generation C7i launched last year. According to AWS, compute-optimized C8i delivers 60% faster performance for NGINX web applications, up to 40% faster processing for AI deep learning recommendation models, and 35% faster operations for Memcached distributed memory caching systems.
These improvements stem from custom Intel Xeon 6 processors optimized specifically for AWS infrastructure. The customization allows Amazon to tune processor characteristics for cloud workloads rather than general-purpose computing scenarios.
Performance gains vary by workload type. Web serving applications see the largest improvements at 60%, reflecting optimizations for network-intensive operations and rapid context switching between connections. AI recommendation models benefit from enhanced vectorization and memory bandwidth. Memcached performance improvements derive from reduced latency and improved cache coherency.
C8i Technical Specifications and Configuration
AWS C8i EC2 instances scale up to 384 vCPUs and 768 GiB of memory. The instance family includes bare-metal options providing dedicated access to underlying physical hardware, eliminating virtualization overhead for applications requiring maximum performance or specialized hardware access.
Bare-metal instances particularly benefit workloads needing direct hardware control, including custom hypervisors, containerized applications avoiding nested virtualization, or software with hardware-specific licensing requirements.
Memory configuration maintains the 2:1 ratio between memory and vCPUs characteristic of compute-optimized instances. This balance suits applications requiring substantial compute capacity without memory-intensive data structures.
AWS C8i-flex Cost-Optimized Variant
The C8i-flex instances introduce novel pricing model addressing workloads not consistently utilizing full compute capacity. Rather than paying for peak performance rarely achieved, C8i-flex reduces costs 5% while guaranteeing 95% of full CPU performance 95% of the time.
This approach targets applications with variable compute demands. Web servers handling traffic fluctuations, batch processing systems with periodic workloads, and development environments rarely maxing out resources benefit from cost savings without meaningful performance impact.
The 95/95 guarantee means applications receive near-full performance during typical operations. During the remaining 5% of time when workloads exceed baseline capacity, performance may throttle slightly—an acceptable tradeoff for many use cases.
DevOpsChat community on LinkedIn praised the flexibility: “With the introduction of C8i Flex, AWS provides even more flexibility for users to optimize costs according to their workloads. This innovative instance type allows developers to leverage a range of additional resources, adjusting CPU and memory requirements dynamically to better fit changing needs.”
Instance Portfolio Complexity Concerns
However, not all observers view the expanding portfolio positively. The proliferation of instance types creates decision complexity for architects selecting appropriate infrastructure.
The Snark bot from lastweekinaws commented: “AWS announces C8i & C8i-flex instances with ‘custom’ Intel chips. Because apparently C7i wasn’t confusing enough, and we needed two more instance types with microscopic pricing differences.”
This criticism highlights legitimate concerns. Organizations now navigate choices between C7i, C8i, C8i-flex variants, each with subtle pricing and performance characteristics. Multiply this across compute-optimized, memory-optimized, and general-purpose families, and the decision matrix becomes substantial.
AWS defends the variety as providing customers precise tools for specific workloads. Critics argue the complexity creates cognitive overhead and potential for suboptimal choices.
AWS C8i Regional Availability and Purchasing
Currently, AWS C8i EC2 instances are available in US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), and Europe (Spain) AWS Regions. Amazon typically expands availability to additional regions following initial launch.
Organizations can purchase AWS C8i EC2 instances through multiple pricing models. On-Demand instances provide pay-as-you-go flexibility without commitments. Savings Plans offer discounts for one or three-year usage commitments. Spot instances provide significant discounts for interruptible workloads.
Additionally, C8i instances (but not C8i-flex) are available as Dedicated Instances and Dedicated Hosts. Dedicated Instances run on hardware dedicated to single customer accounts. Dedicated Hosts provide physical server control for compliance requirements or software licensing models tied to physical cores.
The exclusion of C8i-flex from dedicated options reflects the performance variability inherent in the flex model, which conflicts with dedicated hosting guarantees.
Strategic Intel Partnership Implications
The AWS C8i launch represents continued AWS-Intel collaboration despite Amazon’s investments in custom Graviton ARM processors. While Graviton instances often provide better price-performance for many workloads, Intel maintains advantages for specific applications requiring x86 architecture or particular instruction sets.
Custom Intel processors allow AWS differentiating from standard Intel offerings available to competitors. This customization provides performance advantages exclusive to AWS infrastructure while maintaining x86 compatibility critical for many enterprise applications.
For Intel, the AWS partnership provides significant revenue and validates its Xeon 6 architecture in hyperscale deployments. However, AWS simultaneously develops competing ARM-based Graviton processors, creating long-term strategic tension.
AWS C8i Workload Suitability Assessment
Organizations evaluating AWS C8i EC2 instances should assess specific workload characteristics. Web serving applications particularly benefit from 60% NGINX performance improvements, potentially reducing required instance counts substantially.
AI recommendation systems gain 40% performance improvements, though practitioners should compare against Graviton alternatives also optimized for machine learning workloads. Memcached deployments see 35% improvements, potentially consolidating cache tiers.
Batch processing, distributed analytics, and video encoding workloads benefit from raw compute capacity and improved single-thread performance. HPC applications gain from bare-metal instance options and high core counts.
C8i-flex suitability depends on workload variability. Applications with predictable compute patterns may prefer standard instances. Variable workloads including development environments, testing infrastructure, and applications with diurnal traffic patterns should evaluate C8i-flex cost savings.
Ultimately, organizations should benchmark actual workloads rather than relying solely on AWS-published performance metrics, which may not reflect specific application characteristics. The AWS C8i EC2 instances provide compelling performance improvements, but real-world testing determines optimal selection for specific use cases.