c7a.32xlarge

Analysis

The c7a.32xlarge is a compute optimized instance in the c7a series with 128 vCPUs and 256 GiB of memory on AMD EPYC 9R14 (up to Up to 3.7 GHz), which makes it compute-heavy at 2 GiB of memory per vCPU.

Compared with the previous generation, it costs 34% more than the c6a.32xlarge on AMD EPYC 7R13 ($1,221 more a month per instance), in exchange for the newer processor.

Running it in N. Virginia instead of Tokyo saves $1,241 a month per instance: $6.57/hour against $8.27/hour, a 26% spread. It is not offered in Canada Central, São Paulo, Mumbai and Sydney, so plan around that if you need a presence there.

On demand it costs $6.57/hour in US East (N. Virginia), $4,795 a month if left running, which puts it mid-table for compute optimized types at the 61st percentile per vCPU ($0.0513 per vCPU-hour) and the 63rd percentile per GiB ($0.0257 per GiB-hour).

Looking beyond its own line, 4 of 9 current types with 128 vCPUs and similar memory are cheaper. The cheapest of those is the c6i.32xlarge on Intel Xeon 8375C (Ice Lake) at $5.44/hour.

It is size 10 of 11 in the c7a series. Stepping up to the c7a.48xlarge gives 192 vCPUs and 384 GiB for $2,398 more a month. Dropping to the c7a.24xlarge saves $1,199 a month.