December 10, 2025
Fast chips, faster clapbacks
AWS Announces Graviton 5
AWS Graviton5 lands: speed bragging, users debate price, games, and x86 vibes
TLDR: AWS launched Graviton5 chips in new M9g servers, claiming up to 35% faster performance for common workloads. Commenters obsess over ARM compatibility, game servers, and missing pricing, with some accusing AWS of steering customers away from Intel/AMD—making cloud speed vs compatibility the week’s main showdown.
AWS just dropped Graviton5, its home‑grown chip powering new M9g servers, bragging 25–35% faster for apps, websites, databases, and even some machine‑learning. Big names pile on: Airbnb says up to 25% speed with smoother “latency” (less waiting), Atlassian claims 30% higher performance, and Honeycomb cheers per‑core throughput gains. AWS points to its Nitro tech (extra hardware + a lean manager) for speed and isolation, and says Linux tools and partners are ready.
But the comments quickly go full popcorn. One of the first asks, “So these are aarch64, right?”—translation: ARM chips, not the usual Intel/AMD PCs (called x86). Gamers groan: “If only dedicated game servers could run on aarch64…” with emulator tests falling flat. Meanwhile, pricing panic hits: “Pricing when? :(” with folks refreshing the AWS price page.
Then the spice: “AWS is using their market dominance to shift workloads to Graviton,” says one, noting AWS doesn’t offer the newest Intel/AMD gear and hinting this is a strategic nudge. Another links the earlier thread for déjà vu drama: HN recap. Memes fly: “Fastest ever—until you see the bill,” “ARM me up, Scotty,” and “Nitro-fueled, price TBD.” Team Speed vs Team Compatibility is officially on. Grab popcorn and benchmarks, folks today
Key Points
- •AWS launched Amazon EC2 M9g instances powered by Graviton5, claiming best price performance for general-purpose workloads.
- •M9g delivers up to 25% better compute performance and higher networking/EBS bandwidth than Graviton4-based M8g.
- •Performance gains are reported as up to 30% for databases, up to 35% for web apps, and up to 35% for machine learning workloads.
- •M9g is built on the AWS Nitro System, providing isolated multitenancy, private networking, and fast local storage.
- •Customer tests from Airbnb, Arm, Atlassian, Honeycomb, and SAP HANA Cloud report measurable improvements in latency, throughput, and efficiency.