Summary:
1. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is launching A4 compute instances powered by AmpereOne M Arm-based processors, making it the first major cloud provider to offer these instances.
2. The A4 instances will be available in November 2025 in various regions, with features such as 96 cores, 3.6 GHz clock speed, 12 channels of DDR5 memory, and 100G networking.
3. The A4 shapes are designed for AI inference workloads, offering cost-effective solutions with higher performance and energy efficiency compared to previous generations.
Article:
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is taking a significant step forward in its partnership with chipmaker Ampere by introducing the upcoming launch of A4 compute instances powered by AmpereOne M, the latest generation of Arm-based processors. This move positions Oracle as a trailblazer in the cloud industry, becoming the first major cloud provider to offer general availability of AmpereOne M-based instances. This marks a significant milestone in the evolution of energy-efficient, high-performance computing for cloud and AI workloads.
Scheduled for general availability in November 2025, the A4 instances will initially launch in Oracle’s Ashburn (IAD), Phoenix (PHX), Frankfurt (FRA), and London (LHR) regions, with further global expansions planned. Building on the success of OCI’s A1 and A2 compute shapes, which have already attracted over 1,000 customers across 65 regions worldwide, the A4 launch underscores OCI’s commitment to providing enterprises with scalable, cost-efficient, and sustainable cloud infrastructure options.
The AmpereOne M-powered A4 instances will be available in both bare metal and virtual machine (VM) configurations, featuring up to 96 cores clocked at 3.6 GHz – a 20% increase in clock speed compared to previous generations. Additionally, these instances boast 12 channels of DDR5 memory and 100G networking, catering to demanding workloads such as AI inference and large language models (LLMs) that require high throughput and low latency.
Oracle’s Vice President of Compute, Kiran Edara, highlighted that the new A4 shapes align with OCI’s commitment to offering customers flexibility across performance, cost, and sustainability. The A4 instances are designed to provide customers with a wide range of compute options, from small VMs to large bare metal, enabling them to tailor each workload to the optimal balance of performance, efficiency, and cost. This strategic move aims to deliver stronger price-performance and measurable power savings, empowering organizations to achieve their global sustainability goals effectively.
The AmpereOne M architecture, introduced in late 2024, is specifically engineered for cloud-native and AI workloads, delivering consistent performance per core and higher efficiency compared to x86-based architectures. Jeff Wittich, Chief Product Officer at Ampere Computing, emphasized that the A4 deployment showcases how modern Arm designs are reshaping compute economics, offering predictable performance, efficiency, and scalability for the cloud. By launching A4 on OCI, customers can leverage this cutting-edge technology to accelerate their cloud and AI initiatives, driving innovation and efficiency in their operations.
AmpereOne M introduces several design improvements, including 45% higher per-core performance compared to OCI’s previous A2 shapes and up to 30% better price-performance than AMD EPYC-based OCI E6 instances. These enhancements position the A4 shapes as a cost-effective choice for AI inference workloads, where efficiency and predictability are paramount. With the increasing demand for CPU-based inference solutions to support generative AI, the A4 instances are optimized to deliver lower cost and energy consumption than GPU-heavy setups, making them an ideal solution for small and mid-sized LLM deployments requiring elasticity, affordability, and predictable scaling.
To facilitate easier AI adoption, Ampere has introduced an AI Playground, a developer ecosystem with optimized libraries, pre-built demos, and reference models hosted on GitHub. This resource is tailored to assist organizations in rapidly prototyping and deploying inference-ready applications using Ampere processors on OCI. Several early adopters, including Uber and Oracle Red Bull Racing, have already committed to leveraging the new A4 shapes. Uber plans to extend its deployment to the new instances in U.S. regions, anticipating up to 15% higher performance and reduced energy usage. On the other hand, Oracle Red Bull Racing is set to migrate its AI-driven Monte Carlo simulation workloads to A4 instances in London, aiming for a 12% performance boost for its race strategy computations.
Oracle is also expanding internal use of Ampere-based compute across its services, with Fusion Applications transitioning from A1 instances to A4 for enhanced SaaS performance. Other OCI services, such as Block Storage and Oracle Database development, are integrating Ampere processors, with the database team implementing Ampere’s memory tagging technology to detect and prevent memory safety violations with minimal performance impact. This strategic partnership between Oracle and Ampere has rapidly evolved into a cornerstone of OCI’s offerings, attracting enterprises seeking robust performance and energy efficiency to support their AI and cloud-native transformation initiatives.
The deployment of A4 shapes signifies a growing trend among cloud hyperscalers embracing Arm-based architectures to balance performance with sustainability imperatives. For Oracle, this move represents a strategic play in a competitive landscape where cloud efficiency, flexibility, and cost transparency are key differentiators. By extending its Ampere portfolio with A4 instances, OCI reinforces its position as a leading cloud provider offering sustainable, high-performance alternatives to x86 and GPU-dominated solutions, driving innovation and efficiency in the cloud industry.
