The recent launch of AMD’s new EPYC processors has shaken up the server processor market as it consolidated its leadership in server processors through the additional performance of using V-Cache compared to Zen 3. ¿What is the performance of these processors? Well, thanks to Microsoft, we were able to know the Milan-X performance on Azure.
One of the keys to cloud computing is latency, after all when we use a remote server to run applications it is important to reduce it as much as possible to have the same level of experience as a local computer.
AMD’s idea with the Milan-X based on Zen 3 and the future processor Bergamo which will be based on Zen 4c is to improve CPU latency with memory by increasing the size of its L3 cache with V-Cache. Well, Microsoft’s Azure division based on Cloud Gaming has run a series of performance tests on the new AMD processors.
This is how AMD EPYC Milan-X works in Azure
Zen-based EPYC Milan processors are used in Microsoft’s Azure servers, specifically to be able to run their tecnología HBv3 Series VM technology which is based on dual configurations up to 128 cores. Since Milan-X uses the same socket for AMD clients, it’s not a problem to change the CPU while keeping the rest of the hardware components.
As can be seen in the performance charts of the AMD Milan-X that Microsoft released, we see how in most tests there is a noticeable performance difference of the Milan-X compared to its predecessor on Azure.
In terms of architecture, Milan-X continues to use Zen 3, so at this level there are no improvements in the IPC, but using a large cache increases the chances of the CPU in capturing new data and instructions find them precisely. in this cache. When this happens, the execution time is shortened and therefore the processor ends up being faster.
The counterpart of increasing the capacity of a cache is that by reaching a certain size, the latency can become more important and be counterproductive, so we were interested in knowing the performance of adding the V-Cache in Milan-X. What does the data tell us? Well, as the number of virtual machines increases, the performance advantage increases for the new AMD processor.
This is how it increases the efficiency of virtual machines
Azure servers run multiple virtual machines at the same time for a large number of clients. Microsoft’s observations on performance are that by using 64 virtual machines at the same time, Milan-X gets a performance improvement up to 77% Regarding the AMD EPYC Milan without V-Cache, which confirms the wisdom of Lisa Su’s company to bet on this technology for the cloud computing market.
Now it remains to be seen Intel’s bet on being able to compete with Milan-X and whether they can really be that fast.
