VMware Cloud on AWS

A new instance type-i4i.metal Now Available for VMware Cloud on AWS

Updated on: Mar 20, 2023

Since the inception of VMware Cloud on AWS, VMware has introduced different instance types in collaboration with AWS, including i3.metal and i3en.metal. Today, we are happy to announce a new bare-metal instance type for VMWare Cloud on AWS-i4i.metal instance is now available. As more customers migrate their workloads to the cloud, this new instance will provide VMWare Cloud on AWS customers with an optimal balance of compute, memory, and storage configuration.

Key specifications:

The i4i.metal instance is an Amazon EC2 instance is powered by 3rd generation Intel® Xeon® Ice Lake processors and offers high I/O performance and better security with always-on encryption. With more compute, memory, local storage, and networking speed compared to its previous generation, it delivers superior value in migrating and operating both memory-bound and general-purpose workloads. 

Each i4i.metal host offers:

  • More storage: 30TB of raw local NVMe flash storage (2x compared to i3.metal)
  • More processing power: 128 vCPUs (~1.8x compared to i3.metal) 
  • More CPU speed: 2.9 GHz / 3.5 GHz Turbo (~1.5x compared to i3.metal)
  • More memory: 1,024 GB (2x compared to i3.metal) 
  • More networking speed: up to 75 Gbps (up to 3x as compared to i3.metal)
  • Better performance: It delivers 125% higher performance as compared to i3.metal instance and 51% higher performance as compared to i3en.metal instance type*. Learn more
  • Lower TCO: The I4i instance has the ability to provide 2.8 times more raw storage capacity, 1.8 times more compute and double the RAM for only a 58% increase in cost over the I3 instance. Additionally, with the new larger size of the I4i instance (128 vCPUs and 1,024 GB of memory) customers can save on infrastructure costs as now more workloads can be consolidated on lesser number of instances.

With storage optimization of VMware vSAN compression and depending on workload characteristics and FTT/RAID settings, a 3-node cluster can deliver ~30TB of total usable capacity. That said, mileage will vary. Hyper-threading is enabled by default to provide 128 logical cores or vCPUs especially suited for applications that require increased CPU throughput. Customers also have the option to configure SDDC’s with a Custom CPU Core Count to optimize their application cost performance, starting with 8 to 64 physical cores. Customers can also opt-in for a multi-AZ (Stretched Cluster) deployment with i4i.metal instances providing high availability and load balancing for their workloads. The i4i.metal instance is a highly secure instance type with support for host-to-host encryption enabled by default. All data at rest is encrypted with VMware vSAN similar to VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC clusters running on the i3.metal and i3en.metal instance type.

The high memory, CPU, and storage configuration of the i4i.metal instances is ideal for workloads that need fast access to datasets on local storage. This includes transactional databases (e.g., MySQL, Oracle DB, MS SQL Server) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Couchbase, etc.). These instances are also an ideal fit for workloads that can easily migrate or scale to the cloud such as VDI workloads.

Customers can choose to deploy a new SDDC with the i4i.metal instance or migrate their workloads from existing i3.metal and/or i3en.metal nodes to the new i4i.metal instance. VMware will also provide in-cluster workload migration service from i3/i3en to i4i for eligible customers on request. You can find more technical  details about this process in documentation and on the TechZone. Just like i3.metal and i3en.metal instances, we support single host starter configuration and 2-host production cluster for i4i.metal, providing a cost-effective entry point for customers. Additionally, all available services on VMware Cloud on AWS like VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery, VMware Site Recovery, VMware vRealize Automation Cloud, VMware vRealize Operations Cloud, VMware vRealize Log Insight Cloud, VMware vRealize Network Insight Cloud, VMware NSX Advanced Firewall etc. are supported on the i4i.metal instance.

Regional availability

Today, the I4i.metal instance type is available to purchase based on on-demand basis as well as 1/3-year subscription basis in US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), US West (N. California), US East (Ohio), Canada (Central), Europe (Ireland), Europe (London), Europe (Frankfurt), Europe (Paris), Europe (Milan), Europe (Stockholm), Europe (Zurich), Middle East (Bahrain), Asia Pacific (Singapore), Asia Pacific (Sydney), Asia Pacific (Melbourne), Asia Pacific (Tokyo), Asia Pacific (Hong Kong), Asia Pacific(Seoul), Asia Pacific (Osaka), Asia Pacific (Mumbai), Africa (Cape Town) and South America(Sao Paulo). It will be available in additional regions over the coming months. The pricing for these regions is available here.

Get started

To learn more about i4i.metal instance type, check out the FAQs and Pricing. And to begin taking advantage of the increased storage, compute, memory, and security capabilities of i4i.metal instances with VMware Cloud on AWS, please reach out to your VMware representative. 

For other information related to VMware Cloud on AWS, here are some more learning resources for you:

*Based on SQL Server benchmarking tool. Percentages may differ slightly based on number of hosts, number of transactions, overhead of VMware vCenter and VMware NSX Management VMs. 

Vidur Bhatnagar

Vidur Bhatnagar is a Senior Product Manager for VMware Cloud on AWS.

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