Amazon EC2
Compute without overhead
What is Amazon EC2?
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) is a cloud computing service that provides resizable, secure compute capacity as virtual servers. It offers over 1,000 instance types across Intel, AMD, and Arm processors and serves developers, enterprises, and teams running web apps, HPC, machine learning, and Windows workloads.
How much does Amazon EC2 cost?
Try Amazon EC2 for free
New AWS customers receive up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits, which can be applied towards eligible AWS services, including Amazon EC2. The free plan is available for 6 months after account creation.
Learn more about the AWS Free Tier
Pay only for the compute you use
EC2 charges per instance-hour or per second depending on instance type and operating system. On-Demand instances require no upfront commitment. Spot Instances offer up to 90% discount on spare capacity. Savings Plans reduce costs by up to 72% in exchange for a one- or three-year hourly spend commitment.
What problems does Amazon EC2 solve?
Limited processor and instance choice
EC2 runs your workload on the right hardware without locking you into a single processor architecture. It is the first major cloud to support Intel, AMD, and Arm processors, with over 1,000 instance types to match compute, storage, and networking needs.
Slow, costly capacity scaling
EC2 scales compute capacity up or down within minutes without physical hardware procurement. It backs infrastructure with an SLA commitment of 99.99% availability, so teams add or remove capacity on demand as workloads shift.
High cost for compute-heavy workload
EC2 optimizes price performance without overpaying for steady or spiky demand. Graviton-based instances, EC2 Spot instances, and AWS Savings Plans give teams flexible purchase models, and C9g instances deliver up to 25% better performance than C8g.
Expensive Machine Learning infrastructure
EC2 trains and deploys ML models without settling for slower networking or higher inference cost. It delivers the best price performance for ML training, the lowest cost per inference instances in the cloud, and networking up to 400 Gbps.
How does Amazon EC2 work?
1. Choose an instance type
Choose an instance type and Amazon Machine Image in the console, CLI, or API. EC2 matches your workload to the right processor, storage, and networking configuration.
2. Launch your instance
Launch the instance and configure security groups, storage, and networking. EC2 provisions secure compute capacity in minutes on the AWS Nitro System.
3. Select a purchase model
Select a purchase model such as On-Demand, Spot, or Savings Plans. EC2 aligns cost to your usage pattern for steady or variable demand.
4. Scale capacity with demand
Scale capacity up or down as demand changes. EC2 adds or removes instances within minutes under a 99.99% availability SLA.
What are the top Amazon EC2 use cases?
Ready to scale infrastructure on demand?
Access resizable compute capacity for virtually any workload.
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Frequently asked questions
Amazon EC2 is best for developers, enterprises, and teams running web and enterprise applications, high performance computing, machine learning, SAP, Windows, and macOS workloads. It suits any team that needs secure, resizable compute capacity with a choice of processor, storage, networking, and purchase model.
Amazon EC2 delivers reliable, scalable infrastructure on demand with a 99.99% availability SLA, security built on the AWS Nitro System, and flexible cost options through Graviton instances, Spot instances, and Savings Plans. It offers over 1,000 instance types across Intel, AMD, and Arm processors.
Amazon EC2 is the first major cloud provider to support Intel, AMD, and Arm processors. This choice lets teams match hardware to workload across more than 1,000 instance types, including AWS Graviton-based instances that deliver strong price performance for general and compute-optimized workloads.
Yes. Amazon EC2 delivers the best price performance for machine learning training and the lowest cost per inference instances in the cloud. It provides purpose-built compute, storage, and networking up to 400 Gbps so teams can train and deploy models efficiently at scale.
Amazon EC2 builds security into its foundation through the AWS Nitro System, which offloads virtualization functions to dedicated hardware and isolates customer workloads. This design provides secure compute for applications without adding separate security layers, supporting sensitive and regulated workloads.
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