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AWS Graviton5 is Amazon’s latest custom silicon breakthrough, launched at reinvent 2025. It delivers up to 25% better performance than Graviton4 and up to 60% lower power than comparable x86 chips.
What Exactly Is AWS Graviton5?
AWS Graviton5 is a 3nm ARM-based processor with 192 physical cores per socket. Built on Arm Neoverse V2 cores, it features a 5× larger L3 cache and 12-channel DDR5-6400 memory. It powers the new EC2 M9g (general-purpose), C9g (compute), and R9g (memory-optimized) instances.
Full Technical Specifications
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Process Node | TSMC 3nm (enhanced) |
| Cores | 192 (no SMT) |
| L3 Cache | 36 MB (5× larger than Graviton4) |
| Memory | DDR5-6400, 12 channels, up to 614 GB/s |
| Networking | Up to 200 Gbps EFA |
| EBS Bandwidth | Up to 38 Gbps |
| Security | Always-on memory encryption + Nitro Isolation Engine |
| TDP | 180–700 W (configurable) |
| Cooling | Bare-die design for better thermals |
Real-World Performance Gains
| Workload | vs Graviton4 | vs x86 (M7i) |
|---|---|---|
| General compute | +25% | +40–60% |
| PostgreSQL / MySQL | +30–35% | +50% |
| Redis | +35% | +55% |
| Java / .NET web apps | +35% | +45% |
| ML inference (TensorFlow) | +35% | +60% |
| Video encoding | +40% | +65% |
| Power at same performance | — | –60% |
Customer examples:
- Airbnb: +25% faster search
- Atlassian: +30% Jira throughput, 20% lower latency
- Siemens: +30% simulation speed
- Pinterest: 25% lower power for feeds
- Synopsys: 35% faster chip verification
- Snowflake: 35% faster analytics queries
EC2 M9g Instance Sizes & Pricing (US East-1, On-Demand)
| Size | vCPUs | Memory (GiB) | Network (Gbps) | EBS (Gbps) | Price/hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| m9g.medium | 1 | 4 | up to 10 | up to 4.75 | $0.032 |
| m9g.large | 2 | 8 | up to 10 | up to 4.75 | $0.064 |
| m9g.8xlarge | 32 | 128 | up to 25 | up to 19 | $1.024 |
| m9g.16xlarge | 64 | 256 | up to 50 | up to 19 | $2.048 |
| m9g.48xlarge | 192 | 768 | up to 200 | up to 38 | $6.144 |
20% cheaper than comparable x86 M7i. Savings Plans: up to 72% off. Spot instances: up to 90% off.
Availability & Rollout
- M9g preview: Available now
- General availability: Q1 2026
- C9g & R9g: Mid-2026
- All 30+ AWS regions
- Windows Server 2022/2025 fully supported
Sustainability Impact
60% less energy than x86 at the same performance. 3nm process + bare-die cooling. Helps AWS reach 100% renewable energy by 2030. Perfect for green compliance reporting.
How to Migrate to AWS Graviton5
- Run the free Graviton Readiness Checker
- Test in current M9g preview instances
- Use AWS Porting Assistant for .NET/Java
- Recompile with Rust, Go, Python 3.11+, or Node.js 20+
- Monitor with CloudWatch – most migrations take hours
- 98% of top EC2 customers have already migrated
Who Should Switch Today?
- Linux container workloads
- Java, .NET, Node.js, Python, Go, Rust apps
- Databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Redis)
- Analytics (Spark, Presto, EMR)
- ML training & inference
- Web & microservices
- Windows Server 2022/2025 workloads
Only legacy x86-only binaries need extra work.
The Evolution of Graviton Processors
Graviton1 (2018): First ARM entry, 40% better price-performance. Graviton2 (2019): 72% lower power, powers M6g/C6g. Graviton3 (2022): 25% compute gains with Neoverse V1. Graviton4 (2024): 96 cores, 3x ML uplift. Graviton5 (2025): 192 cores, 25% perf boost, 60% efficiency.
Future: Graviton6 and Beyond
Graviton6 expected 2027 on 2nm, targeting 50% uplifts. Deeper AI integration with Trainium/Inferentia. Edge computing via AWS Outposts. 50% of new AWS CPU capacity already Graviton-powered.
Conclusion
AWS Graviton5 isn’t just another CPU generation. It is a 192-core, 3nm powerhouse that outperforms x86 while using far less power. For almost every modern cloud workload, Graviton5 is now the smartest, greenest, and cheapest choice on AWS. With preview access today and full launch in Q1 2026, the time to start testing is now.
FAQs
When does AWS Graviton5 become generally available?
M9g preview now; full launch Q1 2026.
How much faster is AWS Graviton5 than Graviton4?
Up to 25% average, 30–40% in memory-heavy workloads.
Is AWS Graviton5 cheaper than Intel/AMD instances?
Yes 20% lower On-Demand, up to 72% with Savings Plans.
Which workloads run best on AWS Graviton5?
Databases, web apps, analytics, ML inference, video encoding.
Does Windows Server work on AWS Graviton5?
Yes Windows Server 2022 & 2025 fully supported.
How much power does AWS Graviton5 save?
Up to 60% less than comparable x86 CPUs.
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