Organizations can now run real-time data through the most advanced virtual machines in Google Cloud

A few months ago, Google Cloud Fired C4A as virtual machine (VM) instances powered by Axion, the first Arm-based CPU. Now, as the next step in this work, C4A will be launched for the first time with Titanium solid state drives – Its specially designed local disks aimed at improving storage and performance.

With this move, Google is strengthening its C4A portfolio and offering virtual machines that can further boost cloud performance for demanding workloads. Real-time data processing. Virtual machines, the company says, combine ultra-low latency and high-throughput storage with cost efficiency, making them an ideal package for running applications such as high-performance databases, analytics and search engines.

Currently, Google Cloud is making C4A VMs equipped with Titanium SSD available in services such as Compute Engine, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), Batch, and Dataproc. Standard C4A VMs are also available for preview in Dataflow, with support for Cloud SQL, AlloyDB, and other services in the pipeline.

What to expect from Google C4A virtual machines with Titanium SSDs?

Google Cloud C4A instances typically come with three storage options: hard disk, Hyperdisk, or local SSD. The hard disk is a standard block storage service where performance is shared between volumes of the same type. Hyperdisk, on the other hand, offers dedicated performance, supporting up to 350,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) and a throughput of 5 GB/s per volume – providing much better performance than a hard disk.

However, in some workloads, especially those that require local storage, even Hyperdisk can struggle. This is where local SSDs come in, with Titanium SSDs being the latest innovation in this category.

New C4A instances with Titanium SSDs deliver up to 2.4 million random read I/O operations per second, 10.4 GB/s read throughput, and 35% lower latency than previous generation SSDs.

Directly attached to compute instances within the host server, Titanium SSDs offload storage and networking tasks from the CPU, freeing up resources to enhance application security and productivity performance. This innovation comes from Google’s Titanium system. Runs the offloading task from the host CPU to a custom system of silicon, hardware, and software on the host and throughout the company Data centers,connected to the host CPU using a Titanium Offload processor.

Configuration on display

Basically, the new C4A family of Titanium SSDs comes with up to 72 vCPUs, 576GB of memory, and 6TB of local storage. Organizations can choose between standard (4GB/vCPU) and high-memory (8GB/vCPU) configurations. On the other hand, connectivity options can reach up to 100 Gbps.

All of this can easily support high-traffic workloads with real-time data processing such as web/application servers, high-performance databases, Data analysis engines And search. Moreover, it can run applications that require in-memory caching, media streaming, transcoding, and CPU-based AI/ML.

“C4A…Delivers up to 65% better price performance and up to 60% better power efficiency than comparable current generation x86-based counterparts. Together, the C4A and Titanium SSDs deliver industry-leading price performance for a wide range of Arm-compatible general-purpose workloads,” Varun Shah and Nate Baum, senior product managers at Google Cloud, wrote in a joint blog post.

Early adopters saw 40% higher productivity

Although C4A VMs with Titanium SSDs have only just become generally available, some early adopters are already seeing performance gains from them. This includes big names like Couchbase and Elastic.

Matt McDonough, senior vice president of product and partners at Couchbase, highlighted how Capella Columnar, running on Google Axion C4A instances with Titanium SSDs, provides unparalleled benefits in price performance, ultra-low latency, and scalable compute power for analytical workloads. And operational. Likewise, Elastic’s Uri Cohen said the company has seen 40% higher throughput than previous generations of virtual machines.

C4A VMs with Titanium SSDs are now generally available in key regions, including the US, Europe and Asia, with plans to expand further. Customers can access it through Spot VMs on demand and discounted pricing options.

With significant advances in performance, power efficiency and scalability, C4A virtual machines with Titanium SSDs meet the demands of modern enterprises, setting a new standard for cloud workloads.

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