AWS launches a new generation of its self-developed ARM processor for cloud instances. Graviton 5 is set to perform 25 percent better than its predecessor and has significantly more cache on board.
At re:Invent in Las Vegas, USA, AWS saves its biggest announcement for last. The cloud giant has a new version of its self-developed Graviton processor in store. Graviton 5 comes to life, with 192 compute cores per chip and five times more cache than its predecessor Graviton 4, launched in 2023.
Pioneering role
AWS develops the Graviton CPU line itself, basing it on the ARM architecture and associated designs. Since the launch of the first Graviton chips in 2018, AWS has been single-handedly driving ARM in the context of servers and the cloud.
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For more than seven years, the cloud giant has been demonstrating how the architecture guarantees a high density of computing power, combined with lower prices for both cloud provider and end customer. Meanwhile, every cloud giant has an ARM-based offering, and ARM chips are even in Windows laptops, but AWS can call itself a pioneer in this regard.
More performance on a strong foundation
Graviton 5 is thus built on a successful foundation and years of experience. Compared to Graviton 4, the L3 cache memory has grown significantly. Each chip has five times more cache on board. The number of CPU cores has also increased, yet each core still has access to 2.6 times more L3 cache memory than in Graviton 4. This translates into higher performance.
Overall memory performance has also increased, as has the bandwidth for network and memory. AWS mentions fifteen percent more network bandwidth and 20 percent more bandwidth for Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS).
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AWS reveals that the chip is rolling off a 3 nm process. Thanks to the 3 nm manufacturing process, energy efficiency also increases.
Popular instances
The chip aims to appeal to customers who need efficient computing power. Although the ARM architecture comes with some compatibility considerations compared to x86, these don’t significantly hinder adoption in practice. AWS claims that 98 percent of its top Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2) customers, including Adobe, Atlassian, Formula 1, SAP, and Snowflake, have already embraced Graviton instances.
This new Graviton chip appears in the EC2 M9g instances. These are available in preview. In 2026, Graviton 5-based C9g instances for compute-intensive workloads and R9g instances for more memory-driven workloads will follow.