Amazon claims new routing design for data centers cuts AWS networking energy costs by 40%

Key Points

Amazon’s new Resilient Network Graphs (RNG) routing replaces fat-tree, cutting switch count by 69%.
Energy use drops about 40% as shown in AWS data-center deployments.
The design is default for new AWS builds since April, but not yet available for existing customers.

What is changing

Amazon launched a new routing design called Resilient Network Graphs that uses a random mesh inside a ShuffleBox box. This approach lets traffic wander many paths before a shortest route is chosen. It avoids the deep layers of traditional fat-tree and reduces the number of devices needed. The ShuffleBox consolidates cabling into a single chassis. The ShuffleBox consolidates cabling into a single chassis. The architecture also simplifies fault tolerance by providing multiple alternate routes. Because of this, uptime metrics have improved in the pilot sites.

The design reduces switch count by 69% reduction while cutting power consumption by about 40%. The savings come from fewer physical switches and less cooling demand. Amazon says early tests in a Dublin site matched the math. Operators report stable latency despite the random paths. Operational monitoring shows consistent performance even under peak traffic loads.

Why it matters

Data center operators and network engineers see lower electricity bills and can handle larger workloads with less hardware. They can also plan capacity more flexibly because the topology spreads traffic evenly. Overall operating expenses drop noticeably. The reduced power draw also eases data center cooling system loads. This translates into lower operational carbon footprints, aligning with sustainability goals.

Most customers still wait for new builds, so the impact is limited impact until existing farms are upgraded. Some workloads may need re-engineering to fully exploit the new topology. Long-term cost savings may justify the upfront redesign effort for large scale operators.