Amazon EC2 X8i instances are now available in the South America (São Paulo) Region

Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the availability of Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) X8i instances in the South America (São Paulo) Region, expanding access to high-performance computing resources for local customers. These instances are powered exclusively by custom Intel Xeon 6 processors, which AWS describes as delivering the fastest memory bandwidth among comparable Intel processors in the cloud. The move follows AWS’s broader strategy to enhance compute capabilities in emerging markets, providing infrastructure optimized for demanding workloads. Customers in the region can now deploy X8i instances through multiple purchasing models, including Savings Plans and Spot instances.

The X8i instances are certified for SAP workloads and are designed to support memory-intensive applications such as large databases, data analytics, and Electronic Design Automation (EDA). Compared to the previous generation X2i instances, X8i instances offer up to 43% higher performance and 1.5x more memory capacity, reaching up to 6TB per instance. AWS highlights that these instances provide up to 3.3x more memory bandwidth, enabling faster processing for complex computational tasks. The instances are available in 14 sizes, ranging from large to 96xlarge configurations, including two bare metal options for workloads requiring direct hardware access.

Performance benchmarks cited by AWS indicate significant improvements over X2i instances, including up to 50% higher SAPS performance, 47% faster PostgreSQL performance, 88% faster Memcached performance, and 46% faster AI inference performance. These metrics underscore the instances’ suitability for latency-sensitive and high-throughput applications. Customers can evaluate and deploy the instances through the AWS Management Console, with pricing options including On-Demand, Savings Plans, and Spot instances to accommodate varying budget and workload requirements.

The introduction of X8i instances in the São Paulo region aligns with AWS’s efforts to provide localized infrastructure that meets regional demand for high-performance computing. The instances are positioned to support industries reliant on in-memory processing, such as financial services, manufacturing, and research institutions. AWS emphasizes the instances’ role in enabling customers to scale workloads efficiently while maintaining cost predictability through flexible purchasing models.