If you're running AI or machine learning workloads, you've probably experienced the sticker shock of cloud GPU pricing. Whether it's AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, renting GPUs by the hour adds up fast. An NVIDIA A100 instance on AWS can cost $30+ per hour. Run that 24/7 for a year, and you're looking at over $260,000 for a single GPU.
There's a better way: Bring Your Own GPU (BYOGPU) colocation.
What is BYOGPU?
BYOGPU is a colocation model where you own the GPU hardware, and we provide everything else: rack space, power, cooling, and high-speed network connectivity. You ship us your GPU servers, we rack them in our data center, and you get full access to your hardware over a secure, low-latency connection.
It's the best of both worlds: the raw performance of dedicated hardware you own, combined with enterprise-grade data center infrastructure you don't have to build or maintain.
Why Own Your GPUs?
The economics are straightforward. A high-end NVIDIA GPU costs anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000 to purchase. That sounds like a lot until you compare it to cloud rental costs:
- Cloud GPU rental: $20-40/hour for high-end GPUs = $175,000-350,000/year per GPU
- BYOGPU colocation: One-time hardware purchase + predictable monthly colocation fees
For workloads that run continuously or even just 8+ hours a day, ownership pays for itself within months, not years. After that, your GPU compute is essentially free minus the colocation costs.
Full Control, Maximum Privacy
When you own your hardware, you own your data. There's no multi-tenant environment, no shared resources, and no third-party access to your systems. For organizations handling sensitive data, proprietary models, or regulated workloads, this level of control isn't optional, it's essential.
With BYOGPU colocation at bare-metal.io, your GPUs are physically isolated in our secure data center. You control who has access, what software runs on them, and how data flows in and out. No cloud provider terms of service, no surprise audits, no data residency concerns.
No Vendor Lock-In
Cloud providers make it easy to get in and expensive to get out. Egress fees, proprietary APIs, and service dependencies create lock-in that's hard to escape. When you own your hardware, you're free to move, scale, or pivot without asking permission.
Your GPUs, your rules. If you need to relocate, upgrade, or repurpose your hardware, you can. Try doing that with cloud instances.
Predictable Costs
Cloud GPU bills are notoriously unpredictable. Spot instances disappear when you need them most. On-demand pricing fluctuates. Reserved instances lock you into commitments that may not match your actual usage.
With BYOGPU, your costs are simple: a fixed monthly colocation fee that covers power, cooling, and connectivity. No per-hour charges, no surprise bandwidth fees, no hidden costs. Budget with confidence.
Who Is BYOGPU For?
BYOGPU colocation is ideal for:
- AI/ML teams with ongoing training or inference workloads
- Companies with predictable GPU needs (not burst-only workloads)
- Organizations with data privacy requirements that prohibit public cloud
- Teams that want to amortize hardware costs over 3-5 years
- Anyone tired of cloud GPU pricing eating their budget
How It Works
Getting started with BYOGPU at bare-metal.io is straightforward:
- Contact us to discuss your requirements and reserve rack space
- Ship your GPU servers to our data center (or we can help you source hardware)
- We rack and connect your equipment with power, cooling, and networking
- You get secure remote access to your dedicated hardware
We handle the infrastructure headaches: redundant power, climate control, physical security, and network connectivity. You focus on running your workloads.
Take Back Control
The cloud GPU tax doesn't have to be your reality. With BYOGPU colocation, you get the performance of dedicated hardware, the reliability of enterprise data center infrastructure, and the freedom of true ownership. All without the cloud markup.
Contact us to learn more about BYOGPU colocation at bare-metal.io. Let's talk about how you can take control of your AI infrastructure and stop renting what you should own.