AWS debuts Lambda functions with access to up to 10GB of memory and 6 virtual CPUs, ability to deploy Lambda functions as container images, millisecond billing
TechCrunchRon Miller
Context & Ripple Effects
AWS is closing the gap between its serverless tier and the virtual machines it competes with internally: Lambda now reaches the high-memory territory EC2 gained back in 2018 with up to 10GB and 6 vCPUs, accepts container images instead of forcing custom packaging, and bills by the millisecond rather than rounding up to whole seconds.
The timing matters — the announcement lands the same day AWS launched Graviton2-powered instances like the C6gn, so the company is upgrading raw compute and serverless ceilings in one stroke, while Google's Cloud Functions, generally available since 2018, remains the direct rival this spec sheet is aimed at.
First-order effects
Developers running memory-hungry workloads like data processing or ML inference can now move them onto Lambda instead of provisioning dedicated servers, and teams with existing containerized services can deploy them without rewriting for Lambda's old package format.
Second-order effects
Millisecond billing resets the pricing comparison against Google Cloud Functions and Azure Functions, which must match both the resource ceiling and the billing granularity or concede cost-sensitive workloads to AWS.
Third-order effects
If function-as-a-service keeps absorbing VM-class resources and container portability, the line between serverless and traditional cloud compute dissolves into a single spectrum where billing granularity, not architecture, is the differentiator.
The trend: Serverless platforms are steadily absorbing the capabilities of dedicated compute instances, with pricing granularity becoming the battleground between AWS, Google, and Microsoft.
This was quick and it's an extremely interesting development. I wonder whether it'll help Apple's legal argument against Nuvia's Williams that he was setting up a competitor before leaving Apple. Possibly, yes. #SiliconGang https://aws.amazon.com/...
@DonMacAskill @QuinnyPig @awscloud Of course, the shape of the deal between Apple & AWS is one of those Things We Will Never Know. To be honest, I'm seriously shocked, the whole thing seems out of character for Apple.
AWS Lambda functions now have more room to grow with up to 10 GB memory and up to 6 corresponding vCPUs: Merry #Serverless Christmas. #ServerlessForEveryone #reInvent2020 https://aws.amazon.com/...
You can now allocate up to 10 GB of memory to a Lambda function. That means you can now have access to up to 6 vCPUs in each execution environment! Combined with the new billing in 1 millisecond increments, Lambda just got a whole lot better. #reinvent https://aws.amazon.com/...
What else is new for now: AWS Lambda now bills at the millisecond instead of 100ms https://aws.amazon.com/... Up to 10GB memory and 6 vCPU Lambda functions 💪 https://aws.amazon.com/... RDS Aurora Serverless v2 announced, extremely exciting but we'll wait for more details!