AWS Implements High-Performance EPYC and Radeon Pro Processors for Graphics Optimized Workloads

The datacenter business for AMD is growing rapidly. This round Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) has expanded its AMD-based offerings with a new cloud instance for Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2): Amazon EC2 G4ad instances for graphics-optimized workloads.

With this new instance, AMD now powers eight Amazon EC2 instance families across 20 global AWS Regions. AMD also announced that Amazon GameLift, a fully managed dedicated game server hosting solution, is now providing its video game hosting customers access to AMD EPYC processor-based Amazon EC2 C5a, M5a and R5a instances.

"Today we build on the strong collaboration between AMD and AWS, which started in 2017. This expansion of our cooperation is a proof point of the continued performance and capabilities that AMD provides its customers," said Forrest Norrod, senior vice president and general manager, Data Center and Embedded Solutions Group, AMD. "Amazon EC2 G4ad instances are the first powered by both AMD EPYC CPUs and Radeon Pro GPUs, and adding to the existing EPYC processor-based instances, they exemplify the ways in which AMD CPUs and GPUs provide fantastic performance and price/performance for AWS customers."

"The high-performance capabilities of the AMD EPYC CPUs and Radeon Pro GPUs are enabling AWS to create a new graphics-focused instance that help us keep our leadership price/performance offerings that our customers expect," said David Brown, Vice President, Amazon EC2, Amazon Web Services, Inc. "We're delighted to continue this great collaboration with AMD, enabling the Amazon EC2 G4ad instances to provide the industry's best price performance for graphics-intensive applications."

New Amazon EC2 G4ad Instance
Featuring 2nd Gen AMD EPYC CPUs and AMD Radeon Pro V520 GPUs, the new G4ad instance, which will be available later this month, is the first AWS instance powered by both 7 nm AMD CPUs and GPUs.

• G4ad is built to support graphics-intensive workloads and can provide customers with up to 45 percent better price performance and 40 percent better graphics performance, for critical workstation-class applications and real-time game engines, compared to existing GPU based, Amazon EC2 G4dn instances.
• Based on the AMD RDNA architecture, the AMD Radeon Pro V520 GPUs can deliver highly responsive, cloud-based workstation-class experiences for the most demanding workloads with enterprise-grade reliability.
• These instances also come with AMD Radeon Pro Software for Enterprise at no additional cost, offering support for professionals working with workstation applications and the latest graphic APIs, like DirectX, OpenGL and Vulkan offering professional-grade graphics rendering for virtual workstations.

You can learn more about the AMD and AWS collaboration in this video interview between AMD CEO Lisa Su and AWS Vice President of Amazon EC2, David Brown, which will go live on December 2 at 12:30pm PT as part of the AWS Virtual re:Invent sessions.

Amazon GameLift
Amazon GameLift is now providing its video game hosting customers access on the AMD EPYC based Amazon EC2 C5a, M5a and R5a instances to provide great price/performance capabilities to its video game server hosting customers.

With AMD EPYC processors, developers can use Amazon GameLift to deploy, operate, and scale dedicated high-performance servers for multiplayer games at up to 10 percent lower cost over comparable instances. You can read more about the Amazon GameLift service supporting AMD EPYC processor-based instances here.