What is Graviton 2?

Table of content

Best Practices for Using Graviton 2 Instances

Choose workloads that benefit from ARM architecture: Graviton 2 excels in web servers, containerized microservices, data processing, and development environments.
Leverage native ARM-compatible software: Use ARM-optimized libraries, containers, and runtimes to maximize performance.
Test application compatibility early: Ensure your code and dependencies support ARM64 architecture to avoid migration issues.
Combine with AWS Auto Scaling: Use Graviton 2 instances within scalable groups for cost-effective elasticity.
Monitor performance metrics closely: Utilize CloudWatch and AWS Compute Optimizer to fine-tune instance selection and resource allocation.

Enhanced Price Performance: Up to 40% better price/performance compared to comparable Intel and AMD instances, reducing cloud costs significantly.
Energy Efficiency: Built on ARM architecture, Graviton 2 consumes less power, supporting greener cloud initiatives.
Broad AWS Support: Available across multiple instance families, including M6g, C6g, and R6g, providing flexibility for compute, memory, and storage needs.
Improved Security: Features dedicated silicon for memory encryption and other security enhancements.
Wide Software Ecosystem: Increasingly supported by major OS vendors, programming languages, and container platforms like Docker and Kubernetes.

Select Graviton 2 Instance Family: Choose from M6g (general-purpose), C6g (compute-optimized), or R6g (memory-optimized) based on workload needs.
Launch Instances with ARM64 AMIs: Use AWS Marketplace or official ARM64-compatible Amazon Machine Images (AMIs).
Prepare Your Application: Recompile or obtain ARM64 versions of your application binaries and dependencies.
Deploy and Monitor: Launch workloads and monitor resource usage, adjusting instance sizes as needed.
Automate with Infrastructure as Code: Integrate Graviton 2 instances into your CloudFormation or Terraform scripts for repeatable deployments.

Containerize applications: Containers simplify ARM migration and improve portability.
Use Elastic Load Balancing (ELB): Distribute traffic efficiently across Graviton 2 instances for better throughput.
Combine with AWS Lambda for hybrid architectures: Some Lambda runtimes now support ARM-based Graviton processors.
Leverage AWS Graviton Ready partners: Use verified solutions optimized for ARM to reduce time to market.
Regularly review instance utilization: Use Cost Explorer and Trusted Advisor to identify cost-saving opportunities

Feature	Graviton 2 (ARM-based)	Intel/AMD (x86-based)
Price Performance	Up to 40% better	Standard
Power Efficiency	High (ARM architecture)	Moderate
Software Ecosystem	Growing rapidly	Mature and wide
Security Features	Dedicated silicon for encryption	Standard hardware encryption
Supported Workloads	Web servers, microservices, ML inference	Legacy apps, databases, heavy compute

Q1: What workloads are best suited for Graviton 2?
Graviton 2 performs best with scale-out workloads like web servers, containers, and microservices that can leverage ARM architecture benefits.
Q2: Can I run existing x86 applications on Graviton 2?
Applications must be recompiled or containerized with ARM64 support; native x86 binaries won’t run without emulation.
Q3: Which AWS instances use Graviton 2 processors?
M6g, C6g, and R6g instance families are based on Graviton 2 processors.
Q4: How does Graviton 2 improve security?
It includes hardware-level memory encryption and dedicated silicon for enhanced security features.
Q5: Is software support for Graviton 2 mature?
Support is growing quickly with major Linux distros, container platforms, and AWS services adopting ARM64 compatibility.

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