Amazon EC2 M1 Mac instances allow customers to run Mac mini desktop computers through an Amazon EC2 instance, providing a basis for Mac workloads in the public cloud.
The Mac mini desktop instances are based on M1 processors and behave like any other Amazon EC2 instance, supporting various public cloud features. In addition, the instances can access any other Apple device with an M1 processor, such as iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Apple TVs.
EC2 Mac M1 instances allow developers to build applications across the ecosystem. MacOS environments can be spun up in an instant. Companies can quickly and easily scale capacity as needed.
Under the bonnet
The core of Amazon EC2 Mac M1 instances consists of dedicated Mac mini desktop computers connected to the AWS Nitro System via Thunderbolt. The desktops have 8 CPU cores, 8 GPU cores, 16 GB of internal memory and a 16-core Apple Neural Engine.
The connection to AWS Nitro System provides up to 10 Gbps of VPC network bandwidth and 1 Gbps of EBS storage connectivity. The instances provide full Amazon VPC networking and EBS storage capabilities. The instances also support macOS BigSur 11, macOS Monterey and Amazon Machine Images (AMIs).
Comparison with x86 Mac instances
The instances will be available alongside AWS’ existing EC2 x86 Mac instances. The new instances are said to be up to 60 percent more cost-efficient than the x86 Mac instances. Pricing is based on usage.
9 hours ago
