STAC-N1 Benchmark of the AMD EPYC 9374F Processor

In the fast-paced and highly competitive world of finance, every millisecond counts. To stay ahead, financial institutions require powerful and efficient hardware solutions that can handle their critical workloads with unmatched performance. The 4th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs are useful in this situation. These processors have made a name for themselves in the Financial Services Industry (FSI) because to their remarkable capabilities and cutting-edge features. In this article, we will investigate the advantages of 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors for demanding financial workloads, study the systems tested, examine the Securities Technology Analysis Centre (STAC®) and the STAC-N1 benchmark, and provide the excellent results attained.

About STAC and the STAC-N1 Benchmark

The STAC Benchmark™ Council, an esteemed organization comprising leading financial institutions and technology vendors, is dedicated to establishing standardized methodologies for assessing technologies used in the finance industry. As part of its efforts, the council developed the STAC-N1 benchmarks, which aim to evaluate the performance of network stacks under a simulated market data environment.

Unlike other benchmarks, the STAC-N1 benchmark operates in a vendor-neutral manner, accommodating various network APIs without the need for additional applications like middleware or exchange feed handlers. This approach allows for a comprehensive assessment of low-latency capabilities, a critical factor for the FSI market that heavily relies on high-frequency trading applications. The STAC-N1 benchmark offers automated testing and analysis, providing detailed latency analysis, throughput metrics, as well as CPU and memory statistics.

AMD EPYC Processors: Perfect Fit for the Financial Services Industry

The 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors are far and away the best CPUs available for the financial services sector. These processors have a number of capabilities that allow them to perform at record levels for demanding workloads:

• Exceptional Core and Thread Count: With up to 96 physical cores and 192 threads per processor, the 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors offer unparalleled processing power. This impressive core and thread count enable them to handle even the most demanding financial workloads efficiently.
• Ample L3 Cache: Each processor comes equipped with up to 384 MB of L3 cache (standard) or a staggering 1152 MB per processor with AMD 3D V-Cache™ technology. This generous cache size enhances data access and minimizes latency, ensuring swift and seamless execution of financial applications.
• Massive Memory Capacity: Up to 6TB of DDR5-4800 RAM is supported by AMD EPYC CPUs of the fourth generation. Financial institutions can handle massive volumes of data in real time thanks to this vast memory capacity, giving them an advantage in today’s volatile markets.

• High-Speed PCIe® Gen 5 Lanes: These processors provide blazingly fast data transfer rates, with up to 128 lanes of quick PCIe® Gen 5 connection in a single-processor configuration (or up to 160 lanes in a dual-processor system). For managing data-intensive financial applications and enabling high-performance networking and storage solutions, this capability is essential.

The combined performance and efficiency offered by these features make the 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors the perfect choice for the FSI market. In an industry where even microseconds can translate into millions of dollars in profit, the superiority of these processors is evident.

Systems Tested

To showcase the capabilities of the 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors, STAC conducted extensive testing using two HPE ProLiant DL325 Gen11 servers powered by a single AMD EPYC 9374F processor with 32 cores. The testing employed UDP over 25GbE, utilizing AMD XtremeScale™ X2522-25G-PLUS adapters with AMD Xilinx OpenOnload® technology. The servers ran on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6, and communication between them occurred over a single switchless 25GbE cross-connect cable with Forward Error Correction (FEC) disabled.

Key components of the tested system configuration were:

1. 1 x 32-core AMD EPYC™ 9374F CPU @ 3.85GHz (4.3 GHz Boost1)
2. 12 x 32 GiB DDR5 DIMMS @ 4800 MT/s
3. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 (kernel 4.18.0-372.26.1.el8_6.x86_64)
4. sfc 5.3.12.1023 driver with OpenOnload 8.0.0.34 AMD Xilinx XtremeScale X2522-25G-PLUS adapter via cross-over cable with FEC disable

4th Gen AMD EPYC Processors Continue to Shine

The configuration described above showcased exceptional UDP performance, outperforming previously published non-overclocked systems. Here are the notable characteristics observed during testing:

1. Lowest Mean and 99 Percentile Latency: The system demonstrated the lowest mean and 99 percentile latency for the base rate of 100k messages per second (STAC.N1.β1.PINGPONG.LAT1). This highlights the outstanding responsiveness of the 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors in handling real-time financial workloads.
2. Highest Maximum Throughput: The tested system achieved the highest maximum throughput of 1.5 million messages per second (STAC.N1.β1.PINGPONG.TPUT1). This impressive result showcases the processors’ ability to efficiently process a vast number of financial transactions, ensuring optimal performance in high-volume trading environments.
3. Low Latency at High Rates: The system also exhibited the lowest 99 percentile and maximum latency at the highest rate tested for Supply To Receive latency (STAC.N1.β1.PINGPONG.LAT2). This highlights the processors’ capability to maintain low latency even under demanding conditions, crucial for real-time data processing in financial applications.

The results obtained from the testing were presented at the STAC Summit in London on May 4, 2023. A summary of the results can be accessed here, and premium STAC subscribers can delve into more comprehensive details about these impressive findings.

It is worth mentioning that the maximum latency results noted in the Report Card were primarily observed during the initial sample of the test. These latencies can be attributed to start up overhead, likely from Open On load, and can be eliminated in a production environment using warm-up messages. Subsequent intervals showed a significant reduction in maximum Supply To Receive latencies. Furthermore, the STAC-N1 benchmark utilizes fewer than half the cores of an AMD EPYC 9374F processor, enabling concurrent execution of additional applications in a production environment.

The 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors have solidified their position as the preferred choice for the Financial Services Industry, delivering unrivaled performance and efficiency for critical financial workloads. With their exceptional core and thread count, ample L3 cache, massive memory capacity, and high-speed PCIe Gen 5 connectivity, these processors empower financial institutions to stay ahead in a fast-paced and highly competitive market.

The extensive testing conducted by STAC demonstrated the remarkable capabilities of the 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors, showcasing their low-latency performance, maximum throughput, and responsiveness to high-volume transactions. These processors have proven their ability to handle the demanding requirements of the FSI market, providing financial institutions with a competitive edge.

By choosing the 4th Gen AMD EPYC processors, financial organizations can optimize their performance, streamline their operations, and ultimately drive their success in the dynamic world of finance. The future of financial computing lies in the unmatched power and performance offered by these cutting-edge processors from AMD.