Training Run Cost Calculator
Cost the compute of one training run, and of every restart you paid for.
In short
Formula: C = a x h x R x r + Checkpoints + Other
What this calculator does
Accelerator-hours times rate, per run, times the runs actually carried out. Failed and restarted runs are counted because they are billed; nothing is assumed about how many restarts a run needs.
Use it to turn Currency, Price per accelerator-hour, Accelerators per run, Hours per run, and the other shown inputs into a checked result you can compare, copy, or rerun with different assumptions.
The page shows the formula, a numeric worked example, and the assumptions that affect this professional & industry calculation.
Inputs and what they mean
- Currency
- — Amounts are shown in the currency you pick. No exchange rate is applied..
- Price per accelerator-hour
- — Take this from your own bill or the provider's price page. No provider price is built in..
- Accelerators per run
- — Devices the run occupies at once..
- Hours per run
- — Wall-clock hours one run takes..
- Runs carried out
- — Include restarts and failed runs — they were paid for too..
- Checkpoint storage cost (optional)
- — Optional component. Leave at 0 to exclude it from the result..
- Other charges (optional)
- — Optional component. Leave at 0 to exclude it from the result..
- Price as of (optional)
- — The date you took these prices. It is shown with the result so the figure is never read as a current vendor price..
- Price source (optional)
- — Where the prices came from. Shown with the result..
How to use it
- Enter your own figures — the calculator never fills in a rate, price or benchmark for you.
- Press Calculate to see the result.
- Read the formula, variables, assumptions and source below the result before you rely on it.
Formula
C = a x h x R x r + Checkpoints + Other.
Inputs used: Currency, Price per accelerator-hour, Accelerators per run, Hours per run, Runs carried out, Checkpoint storage cost (optional), Other charges (optional), Price as of (optional), and other shown inputs.
Edge handling: Price per accelerator-hour is required.; Price per accelerator-hour cannot be negative.; Price per accelerator-hour must be no more than 1000000000.; Accelerators per run is required.; Accelerators per run cannot be negative..
Worked example
16 accelerators for 22 hours, run three times
- Start with Currency: USD, Price per accelerator-hour: 2.80, Accelerators per run: 16, Hours per run: 22, Runs carried out: 3, Checkpoint storage cost (optional): 0.
- Apply the method: C = a x h x R x r + Checkpoints + Other.
- Restarts are counted as runs, because they appear on the bill.
Reading the result
The headline figure is the main answer. Any breakdown underneath shows the parts that make it up, so you can check the working and see what changes when you adjust an input.
Limitations and assumptions
- Inputs outside the supported range are rejected rather than forced into a result.
- The result depends on the values you enter for this training run cost calculator; it does not supply missing rates, rules, prices, dates, or assumptions for you.
Reference: The Linux Foundation — Unit economics — FinOps Framework
Last reviewed:
Common questions
Where does this formula come from?
FinOps Framework capability: unit economics — cost per business unit is total cost for a period divided by the units delivered in the same period; a workload's cost is the sum of its metered components charged at the rates the organisation actually pays. See the source link on this page.
What kind of calculation is this?
Accelerator-hours for one run, priced at the user's rate and multiplied by the number of runs carried out. Check the formula, example, and limitations on this page before using the result for a real professional & industry decision.
What are its limits?
Arithmetic over the figures entered — it cannot tell whether the metering, logs or invoices behind them are complete. The result is only as current as the rates entered; a rate taken months ago is not a current price. Tiered, committed-use, cached-input and minimum-spend pricing are not modelled unless the user has already reduced them to the rates entered. Runs of different shapes need costing separately; the single figures entered assume one shape. Says nothing about whether the run produced a usable model.
How do I use the Training Run Cost Calculator?
Enter the required values for Currency, Price per accelerator-hour, Accelerators per run, Hours per run, Runs carried out, and the other fields shown. The calculator applies the formula on this page and shows the main result with any supporting breakdown so you can check the arithmetic.
What formula does the Training Run Cost Calculator use?
C = a x h x R x r + Checkpoints + Other The visible formula section above lists the calculation path and the edge cases the page handles, so the result can be checked without relying on the form alone. Check the formula, example, and limitations on this page before using the result for a real professional & industry decision.
Can the Training Run Cost Calculator be used for exact decisions?
Use it as a calculation aid, not as a substitute for checking the underlying rule, contract, policy, or professional advice that applies to your situation. When a result depends on local rules, personal details, prices, or dates, enter those values yourself and confirm them before acting.
Formula, source and verification
Accelerator-hours for one run, priced at the user's rate and multiplied by the number of runs carried out.
The question it answers: What did training this model cost, including the restarts, and what does the endpoint cost to keep up?
The formula
C = a x h x R x r + Checkpoints + Other
- a — Accelerators per run
- (devices). Devices the run occupies at once.
- h — Hours per run
- (h). Wall-clock hours one run takes.
- R — Price per accelerator-hour
- (currency). From the user's own bill or price page.
- r — Runs carried out
- (runs). Including restarts and failed runs, which were paid for too.
- K — Checkpoint storage cost
- (currency). Optional; excluded at zero.
- O — Other charges
- (currency). Optional; excluded at zero.
Units: Devices, hours and runs in, currency out.
What kind of calculation this is
Business input model. The answer depends on business figures only you can supply, such as your own costs, rates or volumes. No market or benchmark values are assumed for you.
Method
Accelerator-hours times rate, per run, times the runs actually carried out. Failed and restarted runs are counted because they are billed; nothing is assumed about how many restarts a run needs.
Assumptions built into the result
- Mathematical: All the figures entered cover the same measurement period.
- Mathematical: Token counts, requests and hours are taken from the user's own logs or bill.
- Mathematical: Every run used the same number of devices for about the same time.
Figures this calculator will never guess for you
- No target, benchmark, industry average or typical figure is supplied for any value.
- A definition is never presented as a goal: a cost per request is not a target cost per request, and a contribution margin is not a target margin.
- No model price, GPU price, rate card or list price is built in; every amount is entered by the user.
- No token count, context length or output length is assumed on the user's behalf.
- No currency conversion is applied; amounts stay in the currency selected.
- No number of restarts, epochs, model size or convergence time is assumed.
Limitations
- Arithmetic over the figures entered — it cannot tell whether the metering, logs or invoices behind them are complete.
- The result is only as current as the rates entered; a rate taken months ago is not a current price.
- Tiered, committed-use, cached-input and minimum-spend pricing are not modelled unless the user has already reduced them to the rates entered.
- Runs of different shapes need costing separately; the single figures entered assume one shape.
- Says nothing about whether the run produced a usable model.
Source and version
- Standard or reference
- FinOps Framework — unit economics and workload cost — FinOps Foundation (FinOps Framework capability: unit economics — cost per business unit is total cost for a period divided by the units delivered in the same period; a workload's cost is the sum of its metered components charged at the rates the organisation actually pays.)
- Published source
- The Linux Foundation — FinOps Framework
- Formula version
- Version 1
- Verification
- Reviewed against the cited source on
- How much weight the source carries
- Standards or government
- Applies to
- Currency
- Amounts stay in the currency you choose; no exchange rate is applied.
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