Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - [NEW] Scaling network performance on next-gen Amazon EC2 instances (CMP333)

Summary

Antti Dury and John Pangle, senior product managers at AWS, discuss innovations in EC2 network-optimized instances and networking.
AWS has evolved EC2 instances since 2006, with significant advancements like Nitro and Annapurna Labs acquisition.
Network-optimized instances were developed to meet customer demands for higher bandwidth and packet performance.
Use cases for network-optimized instances include network virtual appliances, distributed compute, HPC, data analytics, CPU-based AI/ML, in-memory databases, high-performance file systems, and high-density containers.
AWS introduced the sixth generation of EC2 network-optimized instances, offering up to 200 Gbps network bandwidth and high EBS performance.
Customers like Arctic Wolf and Intel have seen performance improvements with the new instances.
C7GN, the first EC2 Graviton instance supporting 200 Gbps network bandwidth, was announced.
John Pangle discussed Nitro's role in offloading critical functions and enabling enhanced networking and EFA.
ENA Express, built on SRD technology, improves single flow bandwidth and reduces tail latency, benefiting applications like file systems, in-memory databases, and live media encoding.
ENA Express is available in all commercial regions on the C6 GN 16 XL instance, with more to come.

AWS's commitment to innovation is evident in the continuous evolution of EC2 instances, focusing on performance, security, and cost-efficiency.
The acquisition of Annapurna Labs was a strategic move that significantly contributed to AWS's ability to innovate in the EC2 space.
The demand for network-optimized instances reflects the growing complexity and bandwidth requirements of modern workloads, including the rise of distributed systems and AI/ML.
The introduction of the sixth generation of EC2 network-optimized instances demonstrates AWS's response to customer feedback, emphasizing the importance of customer-driven innovation.
The Nitro system's ability to offload critical functions from the instance CPU to dedicated hardware is a key factor in improving performance and security.
ENA Express represents a significant advancement in networking technology, enabling higher throughput and lower latency without requiring changes to customer applications.
AWS's focus on providing detailed monitoring tools and metrics for ENA Express shows an understanding of the importance of visibility and troubleshooting capabilities for customers managing complex network architectures.
The session highlights AWS's strategy of providing a broad portfolio of instances to cater to various customer needs, including those with the most demanding network-intensive workloads.