22 August 2024
As a leading global liquidity provider, we have made significant strides in optimizing our trading systems' accuracy by collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to leverage Amazon EC2's improved precision timekeeping capabilities. Historically, it was possible to achieve only millisecond-level time precision in AWS EC2s using Amazon's Time Sync Service. By migrating to AWS' latest instance types supporting the enhanced Amazon Time Sync Service, we were able to synchronize our trading systems with under 100 microseconds precision. The ability to achieve such precise timekeeping in a cloud environment allows us to remain competitive, especially in light of the impending MiCAR regulations, which are expected to mandate stringent timestamp accuracy for cloud-based exchanges.
In collaborating on this project, we were particularly pleased to work with AWS as the only cloud provider offering timing accuracy comparable to on-premises solutions. This has allowed our teams to optimize workloads on AWS, ensuring low-latency communication across multiple regions and availability zones. This enhanced our ability to execute trades with increased precision and efficiency, ultimately driving profitability and strengthening our competitive advantage in the trading arena.
We want to thank our colleagues Vitor Zanatta and Thijmen Klok for their contributions to this project and article.
Read the full piece here: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/industries/gaining-microsecond-advantage-how-amazon-ec2s-precision-timekeeping-empowers-flow-traders/