# Suboptimal architecture selection in AWS Fargate Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/suboptimal-architecture-selection-in-aws-fargate AWS Fargate supports both x86 and Graviton2 (ARM64) CPU architectures, but by default, many workloads continue to run on x86. By: Kevin Talbierz Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Suboptimal Architecture Selection in AWS Fargate The short version AWS Fargate supports both x86 and Graviton2 (ARM64) CPU architectures, but by default, many workloads continue to run on x86. [Kevin Talbierz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-talbierz/) FinOps Manager @ Accor AWS service [AWS Fargate](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/aws-fargate) Category [Compute](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/compute) Reference CER-0196 Type Suboptimal Tier or SKU ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. Graviton2 delivers significantly better price-performance, especially for stateless, scale-out container workloads. Teams that fail to configure task definitions with the \`ARM64\` architecture miss out on meaningful efficiency gains. Because this setting is not enabled automatically and is often overlooked, it results in higher compute costs for functionally equivalent workloads. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. Fargate charges are based on the requested vCPU and memory resources for the duration of containerized workloads. The choice of CPU architecture (x86 vs. ARM) directly impacts pricing. Linux/ARM (Graviton) Fargate pricing is about 20% lower per vCPU-hour and per GB-hour of memory than Linux/x86 (for example, in US East (N. Virginia)), and AWS cites up to 40% better price-performance for many workloads; ARM64 must be explicitly specified. ## How to detect 5 checks to find it in your estate. - Review ECS task definitions for Fargate workloads to determine if the \`ARM64\` architecture is specified (EKS on Fargate cannot run Arm workloads, so Graviton for EKS pods requires EC2-based nodes) - Identify workloads where Graviton2 would be compatible (e.g., stateless services, compiled for ARM) - Evaluate cost differences between current architecture and potential Graviton2 performance improvements - Confirm that container images are compatible with ARM-based environments - Ensure no external dependencies or libraries require x86 ## How to fix 4 ways to remove the waste. - Update Fargate task definitions to use \`"runtimePlatform": { "cpuArchitecture": "ARM64" }\` where supported - Rebuild container images for multi-architecture compatibility if needed - Benchmark ARM-based performance to validate expected savings - Standardize Graviton2 usage for eligible workloads via IaC templates or CI/CD pipelines ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [Announcing AWS Graviton2 Support for AWS Fargate - Get up to 40% Better Price-Performance for Your Serverless Containers aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/announcing-aws-graviton2-support-for-aws-fargate-get-up-to-40-better-price-performance-for-your-serverless-containers/) - [AWS Fargate Pricing aws.amazon.com](https://aws.amazon.com/fargate/pricing/) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - AWS Fargate CER-0181 ### [Underuse of Fargate Spot for Interruptible Workloads](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/underuse-of-fargate-spot-for-interruptible-workloads) Many teams run workloads on standard Fargate pricing even when the workload is fault-tolerant and could tolerate interruptions. Fargate Spot provides the same performance characteristics at up to 70% lower cost, making it ideal for... Compute - AWS EC2 CER-0158 ### [Inefficient Processor Selection in EC2 Instances](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/inefficient-processor-selection-in-ec2-instances) Many organizations default to Intel-based EC2 instances due to familiarity or assumptions about workload compatibility. However, AWS offers AMD and Graviton-based alternatives that often deliver significantly better price-performance for... Compute - AWS EC2 CER-0327 ### [Spot Instance Overreliance Without Effective Cost-Per-Performance Analysis](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/spot-instance-overreliance-without-cost-per-performance-analysis) Organizations frequently pursue aggressive Spot Instance adoption based on headline discount percentages - up to 90% off On-Demand pricing - without evaluating the effective cost per unit of work completed. While Spot pricing can deliver... Compute --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.