# AWS C8i & C8i‑flex Instances: Compute‑Optimized Performance with Custom Intel Xeon 6
AWS has announced the **general availability (GA)** of **compute‑optimized [C8i and C8i‑flex instances](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/c8i/)**, powered by **custom [Intel Xeon 6 processors](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/xeon-6-product-brief.html)**.
These instances target **compute‑intensive workloads** such as:
- Web servers and caching
- Apache Kafka and ElasticSearch clusters
- Batch processing & distributed analytics
- High‑performance computing (HPC)
- Ad serving platforms
- Scalable multiplayer gaming
- Video encoding pipelines
---
## Key Highlights
- **Up to 384 vCPUs** and **768 GiB memory**
- **Bare‑metal** configurations for maximum hardware access
- **C8i‑flex variant**:
- **5% improved price‑performance** at **5% lower cost**
- Achieves **95% of full CPU performance 95% of the time**
- Successors to [C7i and C7i‑flex](https://www.infoq.com/news/2024/05/ec2-c7i-flex-instances/)
- **60% faster** for NGINX web apps
- **Up to 40% faster** for AI deep learning recommendation models
- **35% faster** for Memcached workloads
---
## Expansion of the EC2 Portfolio
The launch follows the release of:
- **Memory‑optimized** [R8i and R8i‑flex](https://www.infoq.com/news/2025/08/ec2-r8i-intel-xeon-six/)
- **General‑purpose** [M8i and M8i‑flex](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-general-purpose-amazon-ec2-m8i-and-m8i-flex-instances-are-now-available/)
This expanded portfolio lets workloads match instance types more precisely — but increases **selection complexity** for architects.
---
## Industry Insight
The [DevOpsChat](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/devopschat_introducing-new-compute-optimized-amazon-activity-7381207215795294208-dx3V) community notes:
> C8i Flex provides flexibility to optimize costs according to workloads…adjusting CPU and memory dynamically…beneficial for fluctuating demand.
Not all feedback is glowing — industry commentators like **Snark bot** from *lastweekinaws* humorously question AWS’s rapid portfolio growth.
Read more via [Bluesky post](https://bsky.app/profile/aws-snarkbot.lastweekinaws.com/post/3m36twvjcfl2p).
---
*(Source: [AWS News Blog](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/introducing-new-compute-optimized-amazon-ec2-c8i-and-c8i-flex-instances/))*
---
## Real‑World Application: AiToEarn
Platforms like **[AiToEarn](https://aitoearn.ai/)** showcase how **optimized EC2** can accelerate AI‑driven services.
AiToEarn is an **open‑source global AI content monetization platform** enabling creators to:
- **Generate AI content**
- **Publish across multiple platforms**: Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Rednote, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X (Twitter)
- **Analyze engagement** with built‑in analytics
- **Rank models & workflows**
For large‑scale content delivery and **real‑time AI services**, faster compute performance translates to **better user experience** and **scalability**.
Resources:
- [AiToEarn官网](https://aitoearn.ai/)
- [AiToEarn博客](https://blog.aitoearn.ai)
- [AiToEarn开源地址](https://github.com/yikart/AiToEarn)
---
## AWS Launch Summary
### Performance
AWS claims **up to 15% improvements** in certain workloads vs. C7i series.
### Availability Regions
Currently available in:
- **US East (N. Virginia)**
- **US East (Ohio)**
- **US West (Oregon)**
- **Europe (Spain)**
Check [AWS Region list](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/glossary/latest/reference/glos-chap.html#region) for updated coverage.
### Purchase Models
You can acquire C8i and C8i‑flex via:
1. **[On‑Demand](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/on-demand/?trk=cf96f8ec-de40-4ee0-8b64-3f7cf7660da2&sc_channel=el)**
2. **[Savings Plans](https://aws.amazon.com/savingsplans/?trk=cc9e0036-98c5-4fa8-8df0-5281f75284ca&sc_channel=el)**
3. **[Spot Instances](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/spot/pricing/?trk=307341f6-3463-47d5-ba81-0957847a9b73&sc_channel=el)**
Additionally, **C8i** is offered on:
- **[Dedicated Instances](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/dedicated-instances/)**
- **[Dedicated Hosts](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/dedicated-hosts/pricing/)**
---
## Editor’s Note
AWS continues to unveil **specialized compute options**, giving developers more choice — but also **more cost‑optimization decisions**.
For **cloud‑savvy content creators**, tools like **AiToEarn** can parallel AWS’s focus on **performance and scalability** — helping manage multi‑platform distribution and monetization with the same strategic approach.
