Alibaba Cloud gn7i vs gn7t Comparison | Generated by AI
Question: What is the difference between gn7t and gn7i in Alibaba Cloud ECS (aliyun.com)?
Answer:
Both gn7i and gn7t are GPU-accelerated compute-optimized instance families in Alibaba Cloud Elastic Compute Service (ECS). They belong to the gn7 series and are built on the third-generation SHENLONG architecture for high, predictable performance with chip-level fast-path acceleration for storage, network, and computing stability.
Key Similarities
- Architecture: Both use the third-generation SHENLONG architecture.
- CPU: Intel Xeon Scalable processors (Ice Lake), with base frequency around 2.9 GHz and all-core turbo up to 3.5 GHz.
- GPU: NVIDIA Ampere architecture GPUs supporting features like RTX and TensorRT.
- Optimization: I/O-optimized instances supporting Enterprise SSD (ESSD), ESSD AutoPL, and Regional ESSD disks.
- Network: High bandwidth and packet forwarding rates that scale with instance size (up to 64 Gbit/s and millions of PPS).
- Use Cases: Primarily targeted at AI inference workloads (e.g., image recognition, speech recognition, behavior identification) and graphics-intensive tasks (e.g., remote graphic design, cloud gaming).
Main Differences
The primary distinction lies in the GPU model and resulting GPU memory capacity per card, which affects suitability for different workloads:
- gn7i:
- GPU: NVIDIA A10 (Ampere architecture).
- GPU Memory: 24 GB per GPU.
- Focus: Balanced for concurrent AI inference and high-performance 3D graphics virtualization. It offers a good mix of CPU, memory, and GPU resources for inference-heavy or graphics tasks.
- Memory (System): Configurations range from ~30 GiB up to 752 GiB, with various vCPU-to-GPU ratios (e.g., single A10 up to multiple in higher specs like 8x A10).
- Example Instance: ecs.gn7i-c16g1.4xlarge (16 vCPU, 60 GiB, 1× A10 with 24 GB).
- gn7t:
- GPU: NVIDIA G39 (likely a higher-memory variant or specific configuration in the Ampere family; exact public mapping points to significantly higher per-GPU VRAM).
- GPU Memory: 24,576 MiB (approximately 24 GB, but listings often show configurations with higher total capacity or different density in practice for the family).
- Focus: Appears optimized for scenarios needing denser GPU memory or specific throughput in AI/compute tasks. Pricing examples often show it paired with higher system memory per GPU (e.g., ecs.gn7t-c16g1.4xlarge has 94 GiB system memory vs. 60 GiB in a comparable gn7i spec).
- Memory (System): Configurations frequently provide more system RAM per vCPU/GPU unit compared to gn7i in similar naming patterns (e.g., higher GiB in c16g1 variants).
- Example Instance: ecs.gn7t-c16g1.4xlarge (16 vCPU, 94 GiB, 1× G39).
In short:
- gn7i is generally positioned for AI inference + graphics virtualization with A10 GPUs (24 GB each).
- gn7t tends to offer higher system memory configurations relative to GPU count in many listed specs and may target workloads benefiting from the G39 GPU variant’s characteristics (higher effective memory density or throughput in certain AI tasks).
Other gn7 variants exist for comparison (e.g., gn7e for larger 80 GB GPUs suited to small/medium AI training/HPC, gn7 for deep learning with potentially different GPUs like A100 in older docs).
Recommendation
- Choose gn7i for most concurrent inference or graphics workloads where A10’s features (RTX/TensorRT) shine.
- Consider gn7t if your workload benefits from the specific memory/throughput profile shown in its instance types (check exact specs and pricing in your region via the Alibaba Cloud console, as availability and exact GPU mapping can vary).
- Always verify the latest instance type details, pricing, and availability in your target region on the Alibaba Cloud ECS console or documentation, as families evolve and some specs are region-specific.
For the most accurate and up-to-date comparison, refer to the official Alibaba Cloud GPU instance families documentation.
References:
- Alibaba Cloud GPU-accelerated instance families documentation
- Alibaba Cloud ECS pricing and instance type listings (various regional pricing pages)
- Public cloud reference sites detailing gn7t/gn7i specs (e.g., Cloud Mercato, SpareCores)