HPC & Scientific
AWS High-Performance Computing: HPC6a vs HPC7g vs HPC7a
Tightly coupled clusters for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and weather forecasting
HPC instances feature stripped-down hypervisors, disabled hyperthreading, and Elastic Fabric Adapter (EFA) networking designed specifically for MPI workloads.
1. Architectural & Silicon Specs Head-to-Head
Comparing underlying processor microarchitectures, memory ratios, and Nitro generation features using representative xlarge sizing.
hpc6ax86_64
HPC6A High-Performance Computing
ProcessorAMD EPYC 7R13 Processor
Clock Speed2.95 GHz
RAM / vCPU4.0 GiB/vCPU
Max Network100 Gbps
Max EBS IOPS11,000
AWS NitroSupported
Min Rate (hpc6a.48xlarge)$2.8800/hr
Monthly Est.$2102.40/mo
Cost per vCPU$0.0300/hr
Cost per GiB RAM$0.0075/hr
CoreMark Benchmark2,704,225
CoreMark / $938,967
Price Index40% of highest
Save 60% vs most expensive
Compute / $ Value100% (Leader)
hpc7gARM64 (Graviton)
HPC7G High-Performance Computing
ProcessorAWS Graviton3 Processor
Clock Speed2.6 GHz
RAM / vCPU4.0 GiB/vCPU
Max Network200 Gbps
Max EBS IOPS11,000
AWS NitroSupported
Min Rate (hpc7g.8xlarge)$1.6832/hr
Monthly Est.$1228.74/mo
Cost per vCPU$0.0526/hr
Cost per GiB RAM$0.0132/hr
CoreMark Benchmark819,305
CoreMark / $486,754
Price IndexLowest Cost
Save 77% vs most expensive
Compute / $ Value52% of leader
hpc7ax86_64
HPC7A High-Performance Computing
ProcessorAMD EPYC 9R14 Processor
Clock Speed3.7 GHz
RAM / vCPU8.0 GiB/vCPU
Max Network300 Gbps
Max EBS IOPS11,000
AWS NitroSupported
Min Rate (hpc7a.48xlarge)$7.2000/hr
Monthly Est.$5256.00/mo
Cost per vCPU$0.0750/hr
Cost per GiB RAM$0.0094/hr
CoreMark Benchmark3,240,324
CoreMark / $450,045
Price Index100% of highest
Compute / $ Value48% of leader
2. Side-by-Side Sizing & Pricing Matrix
Direct price and benchmark comparison across matching instance tiers in the lowest-cost region. Lowest hourly cost in each row is highlighted in green.
| Size Tier | vCPU | Memory | hpc6aLinux Rate | hpc7gLinux Rate | hpc7aLinux Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .4xlarge | 16 | 128 GB | — | — | |
| .12xlarge | 24 | 768 GB | — | — | |
| .8xlarge | 32 | 128 GB | — | — | |
| .24xlarge | 48 | 768 GB | — | — | |
| .16xlarge | 64 | 128 GB | — | — | |
| .48xlarge | 96 | 384 GB | — | ||
| .96xlarge | 192 | 768 GB | — | — |
3. Workload Decision Framework
Clear, actionable rules on when each family wins based on workload profile, runtime language, and licensing boundaries.
Recommended:HPC7a (AMD Genoa)
When: Large-scale aerodynamic CFD, finite element analysis, and weather simulations
Why: Massive memory bandwidth and high all-core frequency for parallel scientific code.
Recommended:HPC7g (Graviton3E)
When: ARM-ported scientific computing libraries targeting minimal cloud spend
Why: Enhanced vector instruction performance with high EFA network throughput.