The ARM Revolution Nobody's Talking About

If you are like most teams running in the cloud, you are overpaying.

Not a little. Not "oh, we could save 5% if we were careful. I mean thousands of dollars a month going straight into Amazon's pocket for nothing.

Here is the secret.

You do not need to rewrite your app. You do not need six months of optimization work. You do not even need to hire a consultant.

The Big Reveal That Cloud Providers Hope You Never Figure Out Listen closely.

Right now, as you read this, AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure are all offering processors that cost 20-40% less than what you're using.

They perform the same. Sometimes better. Often MUCH better.

The catch? They're ARM-based instead of Intel.

That's it. That's the catch.

Here are the exact offerings:

  • AWS: Graviton2 and Graviton3 instances (t4g, m6g, c7g series)

  • Google Cloud: Tau T2A instances

  • Azure: Ampere Altra instances (Dpsv5, Epsv5 series)

Let me show you what I mean with real numbers:

Cloud

Intel Instance

Monthly Cost

ARM Instance

Monthly Cost

You Save

AWS

t3.medium (2 vCPU, 4GB)

$30.37

t4g.medium (2 vCPU, 4GB)

$24.53

$5.84 (19%)

AWS

m5.xlarge (4 vCPU, 16GB)

$140.16

m6g.xlarge (4 vCPU, 16GB)

$112.13

$28.03 (20%)

Google

n2-standard-4

$140.73

t2a-standard-4

$108.85

$31.88 (23%)

Azure

D4s_v5

$140.16

D4ps_v5

$112.13

$28.03 (20%)

Run 50 instances? That's $1,400 per month back in your pocket.

Run 200? You're looking at a Tesla Model 3 every year in savings.

"This Can't Be Real. There Must Be a Catch."

I know what you're thinking.

"If it's 20% cheaper, it must be 20% worse."

Wrong.

Here's what actually works on ARM right now, today, without modification:

  • Docker - Your containers run identically

  • Kubernetes - Zero changes needed

  • Python - Works perfectly

  • Node.js - Actually runs FASTER on ARM

  • Java - The JVM has been ARM-optimized for years

  • Go - Compiles native ARM binaries automatically

  • Rust - First-class ARM support

  • PHP - Yep, even PHP

  • .NET 6+ - Microsoft went all-in on ARM

But don't take my word for it.

Look at these benchmark results from AWS's own testing:

Graviton3 vs Intel Performance:

  • 25% better performance overall

  • 2x better floating-point performance

  • 3x better ML inference performance

  • 60% better performance per watt

"But surely nobody serious is using this..."

👉 Netflix moved their entire time-series infrastructure to Graviton. Saved 50% on compute costs.

👉 Honeycomb moved their entire ingestion pipeline. Cut their AWS bill by 35%.

👉 Datadog runs on ARM. So does Snap. And Twitter / X. And Formula 1.

These aren't experiments. This is production. At scale.

The Money Math (How Much You're Currently Lighting on Fire)

Let's get specific about your waste.

Here's a typical mid-size startup setup:

  • 20 application servers (m5.large)

  • 10 background job processors (c5.xlarge)

  • 5 database read replicas (r5.large)

  • 15 microservices (t3.medium)

Current monthly Intel cost: $3,847
Same setup on ARM: $2,886
Monthly savings: $961
Annual savings: $11,532

That's a senior developer's monthly salary. Every year. Forever.

Want to calculate your own waste? Here's the formula:

Your Current Intel Compute Spend × 0.20 = Money You're Burning

Don't know your compute spend?

  1. Open your cloud billing dashboard

  2. Filter by compute/EC2/VMs

  3. Multiply by 0.20

  4. Sob quietly

For the visual learners, here's what compound waste looks like:

Your Monthly Compute Spend

Annual Waste on Intel

3-Year Waste

5-Year Waste

$5,000

$12,000

$36,000

$60,000

$10,000

$24,000

$72,000

$120,000

$25,000

$60,000

$180,000

$300,000

$50,000

$120,000

$360,000

$600,000

That $600,000? That could have been your Series A extension

Who Should NOT Do This?

Look, I'm not here to sell you snake oil. ARM isn't for everyone. Here's who should stick with Intel:

Windows Server Users

  • Windows Server on ARM is barely supported

  • SQL Server on Windows? Forget it

  • Old .NET Framework 4.x? Not a chance

x86-Only Binary Dependencies

  • 5+ year old versions of Redis and Oracle.

  • Ancient Node.js native modules

  • That random binary your CTO wrote in 2015

If you're in these categories, stop reading. This isn't for you.

Everyone else? Keep going.

(This Is Where It Gets Good)

Here's the thing.

Switching to ARM is stupidly simple.

Want proof? Here's the entire change in Terraform:

# Before - Your infrastructure code that's costing you thousands
resource "aws_instance" "app_server" {
  instance_type = "t3.medium"  # Intel, expensive, slow
  ami           = "ami-0c55b159cbfafe1f0"
  
  # ... rest of your config
}

# After - Literally one line change
resource "aws_instance" "app_server" {
  instance_type = "t4g.medium"  # ARM, cheaper, faster
  ami           = "ami-0a1b2c3d4arm64bit"  # ARM-compatible AMI
  
  # ... rest of your config UNCHANGED
}

That's it. That's the change.

One line.

For Google Cloud? Change machine_type
n2-standard-4 t2a-standard-4.

For Azure? Standard_D4s_v5 Standard_D4ps_v5.

Done For You Scripts + Step-By-Step Guides

I’ve created done-for-you scripts and detailed how-tos that will instantly reduce your cloud spend by migrating to ARM, Here is what you will get below:

The Money Finder → Script that finds all your intel instances and calculates savings
Compatibility Checker → Script that makes sure your apps will run 100% on ARM
ARM Tester → Script that quickly spins up a ARM instance for testing
DB Migration → Script to easily migrate your managed DBs from intel to ARM
Kubernetes ARM → Manifest that runs both Intel and ARM for zero downtime migration
Multi Arch Dockerfile Build all your apps on all Intel and ARM with no problems

The Money Finder

This python script will find all your intel instances and calculate savings in seconds

#!/usr/bin/env python3
# find_arm_opportunities.py

import boto3
import json
from datetime import datetime

ec2 = boto3.client('ec2')

# Instance type mapping
INTEL_TO_ARM = {
    't3.nano': 't4g.nano',
    't3.micro': 't4g.micro',
    't3.small': 't4g.small',
    't3.medium': 't4g.medium',
    't3.large': 't4g.large',
    't3.xlarge': 't4g.xlarge',
    't3.2xlarge': 't4g.2xlarge',
    'm5.large': 'm6g.large',
    'm5.xlarge': 'm6g.xlarge',
    'm5.2xlarge': 'm6g.2xlarge',
    'm5.4xlarge': 'm6g.4xlarge',
    'c5.large': 'c6g.large',
    'c5.xlarge': 'c6g.xlarge',
    'c5.2xlarge': 'c6g.2xlarge',
    'r5.large': 'r6g.large',
    'r5.xlarge': 'r6g.xlarge',
    'r5.2xlarge': 'r6g.2xlarge',
}

# Hourly prices (update for your region)
HOURLY_PRICES = {
    't3.micro': 0.0104,
    't3.small': 0.0208,
    't3.medium': 0.0416,
    't3.large': 0.0832,
    't3.xlarge': 0.1664,
    'm5.large': 0.096,
    'm5.xlarge': 0.192,
    'm5.2xlarge': 0.384,
    'c5.large': 0.085,
    'c5.xlarge': 0.17,
    'r5.large': 0.126,
    'r5.xlarge': 0.252,
}

def find_intel_instances():
    """Find all running Intel instances that could move to ARM"""
    
    response = ec2.describe_instances(
        Filters=[
            {'Name': 'instance-state-name', 'Values': ['running']}
        ]
    )
    
    intel_instances = []
    
    for reservation in response['Reservations']:
        for instance in reservation['Instances']:
            instance_type = instance['InstanceType']
            
            if instance_type in INTEL_TO_ARM:
                # Get instance name from tags
                name = 'No Name'
                for tag in instance.get('Tags', []):
                    if tag['Key'] == 'Name':
                        name = tag['Value']
                        break
                
                intel_instances.append({
                    'id': instance['InstanceId'],
                    'name': name,
                    'type': instance_type,
                    'arm_type': INTEL_TO_ARM[instance_type],
                    'launch_time': instance['LaunchTime'].strftime('%Y-%m-%d')
                })
    
    return intel_instances

def calculate_savings(instances):
    """Calculate potential savings from ARM migration"""
    
    total_monthly_intel = 0
    total_monthly_arm = 0
    
    print("\n" + "="*70)
    print("ARM MIGRATION OPPORTUNITY REPORT")
    print("="*70)
    print(f"Found {len(instances)} Intel instances that can migrate to ARM")
    print("-"*70)
    
    # Group by instance type
    by_type = {}
    for inst in instances:
        if inst['type'] not in by_type:
            by_type[inst['type']] = []
        by_type[inst['type']].append(inst)
    
    print("\nBY INSTANCE TYPE:")
    for itype, insts in sorted(by_type.items()):
        count = len(insts)
        hourly = HOURLY_PRICES.get(itype, 0.10)
        monthly_intel = hourly * 24 * 30 * count
        monthly_arm = monthly_intel * 0.8  # 20% savings
        savings = monthly_intel - monthly_arm
        
        total_monthly_intel += monthly_intel
        total_monthly_arm += monthly_arm
        
        print(f"\n  {itype}{INTEL_TO_ARM[itype]}")
        print(f"    Count: {count} instances")
        print(f"    Current cost: ${monthly_intel:,.2f}/month")
        print(f"    ARM cost: ${monthly_arm:,.2f}/month")
        print(f"    Savings: ${savings:,.2f}/month (${savings*12:,.2f}/year)")
    
    print("\n" + "="*70)
    print("TOTAL SAVINGS SUMMARY:")
    print(f"  Current Intel cost: ${total_monthly_intel:,.2f}/month")
    print(f"  Projected ARM cost: ${total_monthly_arm:,.2f}/month")
    print(f"  Monthly savings: ${total_monthly_intel - total_monthly_arm:,.2f}")
    print(f"  Annual savings: ${(total_monthly_intel - total_monthly_arm) * 12:,.2f}")
    print("="*70)
    
    # Export to CSV
    print("\nDETAILED INSTANCE LIST:")
    print(f"{'Instance ID':<20} {'Name':<30} {'Type':<12} {'ARM Type':<12}")
    print("-"*74)
    for inst in instances:
        print(f"{inst['id']:<20} {inst['name'][:29]:<30} {inst['type']:<12} {inst['arm_type']:<12}")
    
    return total_monthly_intel - total_monthly_arm

if __name__ == "__main__":
    instances = find_intel_instances()
    
    if instances:
        monthly_savings = calculate_savings(instances)
        
        # Save to file
        with open('arm_migration_plan.json', 'w') as f:
            json.dump(instances, f, indent=2, default=str)
        
        print(f"\n✅ Full report saved to arm_migration_plan.json")
        print(f"\n💰 Start with the largest instance type for maximum impact!")
    else:
        print("No Intel instances found that can migrate to ARM")

ARM Instance Tester

This bash script will grab the details of an existing intel instance you are running on AWS using the aws cli command. It will create a new ARM instance with the same specs as the Intel instance.

#!/bin/bash
# test-arm.sh - Run this right now to test ARM

# Get your current instance details
INSTANCE_ID="i-0abc123def456"  # <- Replace with your instance ID
REGION="us-east-1"

echo "🔍 Getting current instance info..."
CURRENT_TYPE=$(aws ec2 describe-instances \
  --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID \
  --query 'Reservations[0].Instances[0].InstanceType' \
  --output text)

CURRENT_AMI=$(aws ec2 describe-instances \
  --instance-ids $INSTANCE_ID \
  --query 'Reservations[0].Instances[0].ImageId' \
  --output text)

# Map Intel to ARM instance types
case $CURRENT_TYPE in
  t3.micro)   ARM_TYPE="t4g.micro" ;;
  t3.small)   ARM_TYPE="t4g.small" ;;
  t3.medium)  ARM_TYPE="t4g.medium" ;;
  t3.large)   ARM_TYPE="t4g.large" ;;
  m5.large)   ARM_TYPE="m6g.large" ;;
  m5.xlarge)  ARM_TYPE="m6g.xlarge" ;;
  c5.large)   ARM_TYPE="c6g.large" ;;
  c5.xlarge)  ARM_TYPE="c6g.xlarge" ;;
  *) echo "❌ No ARM equivalent for $CURRENT_TYPE"; exit 1 ;;
esac

# Get ARM AMI (Amazon Linux 2)
ARM_AMI=$(aws ssm get-parameter \
  --name /aws/service/ami-amazon-linux-latest/amzn2-ami-hvm-arm64-gp2 \
  --query 'Parameter.Value' --output text)

echo "✅ Launching ARM test instance ($ARM_TYPE)..."

# Launch ARM twin
aws ec2 run-instances \
  --image-id $ARM_AMI \
  --instance-type $ARM_TYPE \
  --key-name your-key-name \
  --security-group-ids sg-yourgroup \
  --subnet-id subnet-yoursub \
  --tag-specifications "ResourceType=instance,Tags=[{Key=Name,Value=ARM-TEST-$CURRENT_TYPE}]" \
  --output table

echo "🚀 ARM instance launched! SSH in and run performance tests."

Compatibility Checker

Run this script in your instance source directory. It will check all the binaries, docker images, and package managers if they are compatiable with ARM

#!/bin/bash
# check-compatibility.sh - Will my app work on ARM?

echo "🔍 Checking ARM compatibility..."

# Check architecture of all binaries in current directory
for file in $(find /usr/local/bin /opt -type f -executable 2>/dev/null | head -20); do
  if file "$file" | grep -q "x86-64"; then
    echo "❌ x86-only: $file"
  elif file "$file" | grep -q "ARM\|aarch64"; then  
    echo "✅ ARM ready: $file"
  fi
done

# Check Docker images
if [ -f docker-compose.yml ]; then
  echo -e "\n📦 Docker images:"
  grep "image:" docker-compose.yml | while read -r line; do
    IMAGE=$(echo $line | cut -d: -f2- | xargs)
    if docker manifest inspect $IMAGE 2>/dev/null | grep -q "arm64"; then
      echo "✅ $IMAGE supports ARM"
    else
      echo "❌ $IMAGE is x86-only"
    fi
  done
fi

# Check package managers
echo -e "\n📚 Package managers:"
command -v python3 && echo "✅ Python works on ARM"
command -v node && echo "✅ Node.js works on ARM"  
command -v java && echo "✅ Java works on ARM"

Multi-Arch Docker Build

Use this docker file template for all your docker builds in the future no matter what architecture you want to run it on.

# Dockerfile - Works on both Intel and ARM
FROM --platform=$BUILDPLATFORM node:16-alpine AS builder
ARG TARGETARCH

WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM --platform=$TARGETPLATFORM node:16-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules
EXPOSE 8080
CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]

Kubernetes Manifest → ARM Deployment

This kubernetes deployment manifest targetting ARM nodes can run along side your existing intel instances without any disruption. Perfect testing in prod.

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: app-arm
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: myapp
      arch: arm64
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: myapp
        arch: arm64
    spec:
      nodeSelector:
        kubernetes.io/arch: arm64  # Force ARM nodes
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: myapp:latest-arm64
        ports:
        - containerPort: 8080
        resources:
          requests:
            memory: "256Mi"
            cpu: "250m"
          limits:
            memory: "512Mi"
            cpu: "500m"
---
# Service that works with both architectures
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: myapp
spec:
  selector:
    app: myapp  # Matches both ARM and Intel pods
  ports:
  - port: 80
    targetPort: 8080

Migrate AWS RDS → ARM Graviton

Use this bash script to test migrating live RDS databases from intel to arm to take advantage of savings, get the same performance at a discount.

#!/bin/bash
# migrate-rds-to-arm.sh

DB_INSTANCE="mydb-dev"
NEW_INSTANCE="mydb-dev-arm"
INSTANCE_TYPE="db.r6g.xlarge"

echo "📊 Current RDS instance details:"
aws rds describe-db-instances \
  --db-instance-identifier $DB_INSTANCE \
  --query 'DBInstances[0].[DBInstanceClass,Engine,EngineVersion]' \
  --output table

echo "🔄 Creating ARM read replica..."
aws rds create-db-instance-read-replica \
  --db-instance-identifier $NEW_INSTANCE \
  --source-db-instance-identifier $DB_INSTANCE \
  --db-instance-class $INSTANCE_TYPE  # Graviton2 instance

echo "⏳ Waiting for replica to be available..."
aws rds wait db-instance-available \
  --db-instance-identifier $NEW_INSTANCE

echo "📈 Promoting replica to master..."
aws rds promote-read-replica \
  --db-instance-identifier $NEW_INSTANCE

echo "✅ Migration complete! Update your connection strings to: $NEW_INSTANCE"

With these tools you’ll be migrating your infrastructure to ARM and taking advantage of the cost benefits while keeping the same performance.

Stay tuned for next week while we release another cost-aware cloud engineering article

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