A: Yes, Oracle’s Autonomous Database in Cloud@Customer runs on X8M-2 hardware.
With Oracle Database 19c/21c, the X8M-2 can automatically create zone maps and use In-Memory Columnar format for analytic queries, leveraging PMEM as an extended memory pool. oracle exadata x82 datasheet
The Exadata X8M-2 is a pre-engineered, highly optimized combination of servers, storage, networking, and software. It is designed for Online Transaction Processing (OLTP), mixed workloads, and real-time analytics. The Exadata X8M-2 is a pre-engineered, highly optimized
| Feature | Specification | | --- | --- | | Database Servers | 2-socket Intel Xeon (Cascade Lake) | | Storage Servers | 2-socket Intel Xeon with PMEM and NVMe flash | | Max Rack Configuration | 18 database servers + 18 storage servers (Full Rack) | | Key Innovation | Persistent Memory (PMEM) as extended cache / memory tier | | Network | RoCE (100 Gbps) for low-latency RDMA | | Maximum DRAM (per DB server) | 1.5 TB | | Maximum PMEM (per storage cell) | 12.8 TB | | Use Cases | High-throughput OLTP, AI/ML data pipelines, consolidated databases | | Feature | Exadata X6-2 | Exadata X7-2
| Feature | Exadata X6-2 | Exadata X7-2 | Exadata X8M-2 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Network Fabric | InfiniBand (56 Gb) | InfiniBand (100 Gb) | RoCE (100 Gb) | | Storage Media | SAS Flash + HDD | NVMe Flash | PMEM + NVMe Flash | | Max Database Server DRAM | 768 GB | 768 GB | 1.5 TB | | Storage Server Cache | DRAM + Flashcache | DRAM + Flashcache | DRAM + PMEM + Flash | | Read Latency (Storage) | ~250 µs | ~150 µs | ~19 µs | | Support for NVMe-oF | No | No | Yes |
Verdict: The X8M-2 is not just a spec bump; it’s an architectural shift toward persistent memory tiering.
| Feature | X7 (previous gen) | X8M (X8-2) | X9M (later) | |---------|------------------|------------|-------------| | Network | 100Gb InfiniBand | 100Gb RoCE | 100Gb RoCE | | PMEM support | No | Yes (Optane) | Yes (faster) | | Max DRAM per DB server | 768 GB | 1.5 TB | 3 TB | | Max NVMe flash per storage server | 6.4 TB | 51.2 TB | 102 TB | | Write latency | ~300 µs | ~27 µs | ~19 µs |