Disaggregation: A New Architecture for Cloud Databases

Disaggregated database architecture separates compute and storage into independent, scalable components to better exploit cloud elasticity. This approach addresses the asymmetry between expensive, fluctuating compute resources and cheaper, stable storage. Modern systems like Snowflake and Aurora demonstrate this pattern, with newer implementations pushing disaggregation further into specialized services. While disaggregation enables better resource utilization and cost optimization, it introduces performance tradeoffs due to network communication overhead. The architecture also opens opportunities to rethink distributed protocols and enables new capabilities like real-time HTAP systems and specialized hardware adoption.