Users who need more resources beyond their monthly allotment of READ credits can purchase access to additional storage and compute, as well as support services like RISE consultations. ICDS offers two models for paid compute access: through an Allocation and a “pay per use” Credit model. An Allocation offers users immediate, 24/7 access to a defined set of compute resources for a period of twelve months or more. User may purchase a pool of compute Credits to “spend” on individual jobs, the cost being a factor of the requested resources and job runtime.

Choosing Between an Allocation, Credit-Based Usage, or Both

Each model has its benefits, and the best plan depends on your particular needs and circumstances.

An Allocation:

• Immediate access to resources earmarked for your use
• Utilize your resources 24/7 for one price
• Straightforward budgeting

Credit based usage:

• Pay only for what you use
• Access different compute configurations at will
• No time commitment of an Allocation.

Hybrid (An Allocation augmented with Credits):

• Base Allocation for time intensive jobs and where immediate access is critical (bug fixing, etc.)
• Supplement with Credits for cyclical or temporary needs and “bursty” workflows

Ultimately the best choice depends on your workflows, budget, and personal preference. If you’d like help in crafting an approach that best meets your needs, contact us at icds@psu.edu.

Estimating Your Credit Needs

ICDS has developed two simple command line utilities to help you calculate your credits needs based on your actual usage patterns.

• Use the credit_estimate utility to determine your actual system usage for a given time period. The utility will report how many credits you would have needed to run the same set of jobs.
• Use the job_estimate utility to estimate the number of credits needed to run a job, given a sample batch script.

Estimating Your Monthly Compute Costs

Use this interactive worksheet to estimate you monthly compute costs with an allocation, investigate different resource configurations within a set budget, or estimate the cost of Credit-based usage.

Pricing

NOTE: Roar pricing is scheduled to change on January 1, 2026. See complete details, here.

ICDS has new lower pricing for compute and storage resources, thanks to substantial funding from the OSVPR. Pricing for Credit based usage is similar to Allocation pricing, but prorated according to the time it takes to run your job. For example, a job using 10 Basic memory cores that runs for half of a month would cost half of the monthly charge for a 10 Basic core Allocation.

Different compute type require different numbers of credits to run. This table describes the relative number of credits needed for each type, with “Basic” being the base value.

Contact us at icds@psu.edu to discuss your needs and pricing.

Establish New Paid Service

Ready to establish a new service account? Have questions about storage needs or what usage model is right for you? To ask questions or establish a new a paid account, contact us.

Buy Credits with iLab

If you already have a service account, you can purchase compute Credits yourself via iLab.

How to Purchase Compute Credits in iLab

Important: To complete these steps you’ll need to have an iLab account and access to a CC or IO number.

• To create an iLab account visit Research: Cores – Create an iLab Account for an Internal PSU user.
• To request access to a CC or IO number in iLab, please visit Research: Cores – Re-questing access to IO numbers in iLab.