The future is here…or semi-here, with EC2 Spot instances in the driver’s seat.
Mapbox is the first lane navigation map by using a network of mobile devices, cars, and other devices to work as sensors. With the incredible amount of driving data streamed by modern cars (to the tune of 11 million miles), Mapbox needs a way to process all that information.
Enter EC2 Spot Instances, which processes billions of data sources at once, allowing them to map streets, detect traffic speed, and connect individuals to the road network.
What’s more, by relying on the EC2 Spot market, they can scale their data processing and still reduce cost to 10% of what they would have spent without cloud computing. In the Spot market, clients can bid on unused EC2 instances.
The Spot Instance process itself is simple: if the price goes below the bid, the instance activates. If it goes above, the instance terminates.
By creating groups of spot instances bidding at different levels, you can run compute-intensive processes at a fraction of the price without interruption. The Mapbox design is to use the Spot market and at the same time also maintain a set of on-demand instances to ensure they have compute resources at any one time.
Mapbox is also working on a “waterfall” strategy: each time a set of spot instances automatically shut down, they bid on the next cheapest set of spot instances, and on and on. As a last resort, there’s also an on-demand set to catch processes if the spot instances do not work out.
EC2 Spot Instances can also help you increase your compute capacity at a fraction of the cost. Contact us at PolarSeven today to learn how.
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