Isn’t it ironic that if cloud service providers only have Google left, they still remain loyal to Intel’s x86 architecture?
Recently, after Microsoft announced the launch of Azure cloud servers equipped with Ampere Altra CPUs [1], the well-known technology site THENEXTPLATFORM [2] couldn’t help but exclaim. Indeed, the Wintel couple, after years of ups and downs, have long been separated in spirit. Just like many celebrity couples, they may have reached an understanding to each go their own way, but this public affair on Azure has allowed the outside world to glimpse the deep cracks behind the glamorous facade.
This is not the first time Microsoft has attempted to separate and go its own way. In the consumer market, there has already been one unsuccessful attempt and one significant ongoing emotional affair. Even in the server field, they have occasionally flirted, though not widely publicized. As early as 2017, in Microsoft’s OCP project “Project Olympus,” besides Intel’s Purley platform, Qualcomm’s Centriq ARM chips and Cavium’s ThunderX ARM chips were introduced for competition. Although after the excitement, Microsoft found that the two flings were not as appealing as imagined, and after rationality triumphed over emotion, they returned to their family. But the seeds of division had already been sown; under the surface of apparent affection, another split was just a matter of time.
This time, with the official launch of Ampere Altra Azure services for preview, Microsoft not only launched six types of Azure cloud services:
Source: Reference Material 1
Moreover, they publicly announced:
“The new VM series include general-purpose Dpsv5 and memory-optimized Epsv5 VMs, which can deliver up to 50 percent better price-performance than comparable x86-based VMs”
Publicly announcing that the flings are more appealing, it seems Microsoft is serious this time!
Besides the gossip, what actually attracts us more is that Microsoft announced that the new VMs have a 50% higher cost-effectiveness than the old x86 VMs. How did this come about? After all, the last wave of ARM servers ultimately failed on the battlefield, and the market proved that this path was not feasible, at least at that time, the cost-effectiveness was not high. So where does this confidence come from this time? It should be noted that Ampere Altra is not the latest CPU from Ampere, but at least two generations behind:
Source: Reference Material 4
Ampere Altra is an 80-core CPU based on the ARM N1 architecture released in 2019, supporting 8 DDR4 channels. At this point in time, a reasonably paired CPU seems to be the “Mystique” Altra Max CPU. Although the two CPUs are pin2pin compatible, Altra Max offers 128 cores.
Cost-Effectiveness Calculation
Although Microsoft’s 50% claim is vague, THENEXTPLATFORM does not intend to give up, and they interviewed Jeff Wittich, VP of Ampere. He provided detailed data based on authoritative SPEC2017 Int test data:
Comparison of Altra instances in Azure with AMD Milan and Intel ICX
If we consider the price of each VM (cost per hour), the performance/price is as follows:
Source: Reference Material 2
Switching dimensions, considering the three-year ownership cost of the three VMs and their performance, we calculate the three-year ownership cost per performance:
Undoubtedly, Altra’s cost-effectiveness advantage and ownership cost advantage are very significant. This is the origin of Microsoft’s 50% data.
Conclusion
AWS’s Graviton3 has been released:
There are also rumors [3] that Microsoft will learn from Apple and launch its own ARM chip for use in consumer products and servers. ARM servers are becoming increasingly powerful in this wave of server offensive, and more and more server manufacturers are eager to try ARM servers. Domestic CPU manufacturers adopting ARM architecture have already launched products including Kunpeng, Feiteng, and Pingtouge, and many others are planning to join the fray, with tape-out or research and development starting in 2022. ARM servers have great potential!
References
[1]: Now in preview: Azure Virtual Machines with Ampere Altra Arm-based processors
[2]: The Looming Arm Server Battle Between AWS And Microsoft
[3]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2020/12/20/microsoft-windows-10-arm-chip-design-surface-qualcomm-intel-amd-apple-m1-leak-rumor/?sh=15340c321d26
[4]: Ampere Reveals “Quicksilver” Altra Lineup, 128-Core “Mystique” Kicker
[5]: Ampere® Altra® Now Available on Microsoft® Azure Cloud Platform
