Lambda
Deploy GPU clusters swiftly; extensive AI model training support.. [Contact for Pricing]
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What is Lambda?
Lambda (Lambda Labs) is a cloud GPU provider specializing in AI training and inference infrastructure. The platform offers on-demand GPU instances, 1-Click Clusters, and single-tenant Superclusters with NVIDIA's latest GPUs including B200, H100, H200, A100, and GH200. It serves AI teams, machine learning engineers, data scientists, and researchers who need high-performance compute for deep learning workloads.
Key features include production-ready NVIDIA HGX B200 and H100 GPU clusters fully optimized for distributed AI workloads, single-tenant NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 clusters with NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand for ultimate security and performance, and the ability to spin up HGX B200 and H100 instances in minutes to test and prototype quickly. The platform provides Linux-based GPU-backed virtual machine instances with pre-installed ML frameworks like PyTorch and TensorFlow.
Lambda is built for AI teams seeking infinite scale to produce intelligence, offering gigawatt-scale AI factories for training and inference. The platform is SOC 2 Type II attested and ISO certified (ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27701, ISO 22301), making it enterprise-ready for mission-critical workloads with single-tenant, shared-nothing architecture for sensitive data protection.
The service is ideal for organizations training large AI models, fine-tuning LLMs, running computer vision pipelines, and deploying AI inference at scale. With over 50k customers since 2012, Lambda positions itself as
Lambda pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Lambda offers hourly on-demand pricing with no free tier. Instances: NVIDIA B200 SXM6 at $6.69-$6.99/GPU/hr, H100 SXM at $3.99-$4.29/GPU/hr, A100 SXM 80GB at $2.79/GPU/hr, A100 SXM 40GB at $1.99/GPU/hr, A100 PCIe 40GB at $1.99/GPU/hr, Tesla V100 at $0.79/GPU/hr, GH200 at $2.29/GPU/hr, A10 at $1.29/GPU/hr, A6000 at $1.09/GPU/hr, Quadro RTX 6000 at $0.69/GPU/hr. All instances include SSD storage. 1-Click Clusters: NVIDIA HGX B200 at $9.86/hr (16 GPUs), $9.36/hr (64 GPUs), $8.87/hr (256+ GPUs); NVIDIA H100 at $6.16/hr (16 GPUs), $5.85/hr (64 GPUs), $5.54/hr (256 GPUs). Reserved capacity for 1 year+ available through
Lambda pros
- 30-50% cheaper than AWS EC2 P3 instances for on-demand GPU
- Offers latest NVIDIA GPUs including B200, H100, H200, and GB300 NVL72
- 1-Click Clusters™ with 16 to 2,000+ GPUs for distributed training
- Single-tenant Superclusters with Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking
- Pre-installed PyTorch and TensorFlow with one-liner installation
- Pay per hour with no long-term commitment required for on-demand
- Easy-to-use dashboard with transparent pricing
- Private cloud option with isolated physical access
- Up to 8x multi-GPU instances available per node
- Developer-friendly API for automation
- Free and unlimited egress beyond 1 TB allowance
- SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001/27017/27701/22301 compliant
- Faster setup than AWS with no VPC/subnet/SG configuration needed
- Automatic NCCL setup for distributed PyTorch/TensorFlow
- Block storage at $20/month for 100 GB at $0.20/GB/mo
Lambda cons
- Limited global data center presence compared to AWS, Google, Azure
- H100 on-demand availability varies during peak demand periods
- Primarily focused only on AI and ML workloads, not general cloud
- No free tier available - pay per hour from first minute
- May have higher costs for non-AI workloads compared to general cloud providers
- Support responsiveness issues reported by some users
- Network performance can be subpar on some nodes
- Instance stockouts common during high demand without reserved capacity
Frequently asked questions about Lambda
What is Lambda Labs and what is it used for?
Lambda Labs is a cloud provider founded in 2012 specializing in AI training and inference infrastructure. It offers on-demand GPU clusters and instances, private cloud, and hardware for deep learning. The platform serves over 50k customers who need high-performance NVIDIA GPUs for training large AI models, fine-tuning LLMs, computer vision pipelines, and AI inference at scale.
What GPUs does Lambda offer?
Lambda offers NVIDIA B200 SXM6 (180GB VRAM), H100 SXM (80GB), H100 PCIe (80GB), A100 SXM (80GB and 40GB), A100 PCIe (40GB), GH200 (96GB), Tesla V100 (16GB), A10 (24GB), A6000 (48GB), and Quadro RTX 6000 (24GB). Their Superclusters feature NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 and HGX B300 GPUs.
How much does Lambda Labs cost compared to AWS?
Lambda Labs is 30-50% cheaper than AWS EC2 P3 instances for on-demand GPU compute. For example, Lambda's H100 SXM is $3.99-$4.29/GPU/hr while AWS EC2 P3 instances are significantly more expensive. Lambda also has less overhead since no VPC, subnet, or security group configuration is required.
What is the difference between on-demand and reserved instances?
On-demand instances: pay per hour, spin up instantly, but may be out of stock during peak demand. Reserved instances: prepay for 1-3 months or 1-3 years, guaranteed capacity, and 40-60% discount. On-demand is good for experimentation; reserved is ideal for continuous training like NLP finetuning and computer vision pipelines.
How do I run distributed training across multiple GPUs on Lambda?
Lambda Labs provides Distributed PyTorch and TensorFlow out of the box. Select a multi-GPU instance (like 8x A100), SSH in, and run torch.distributed.launch on your script. Automatic NCCL setup is included. Cost is per instance, not per GPU, so an 8x GPU instance costs approximately the same as scaling linearly with 1x GPU hourly rate.
Can I use Docker containers on Lambda Labs?
Yes. You can upload your own Docker image, or Lambda provides pre-built images with PyTorch and TensorFlow with CUDA baked in. After SSHing into your instance, simply run docker run with your container. Volumes persist across sessions if you use the ~/data directory.
What compliance certifications does Lambda have?
Lambda is SOC 2 Type II attested and ISO certified with ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27701, and ISO 22301. The platform uses single-tenant, shared-nothing architecture to protect sensitive data and achieve production-grade compliance for mission-critical workloads.
What is Lambda's 1-Click Clusters feature?
1-Click Clusters are production-ready NVIDIA HGX B200 and H100 GPU clusters ranging from 16 to 512 GPUs (up to 2,000+ GPUs) fully optimized for distributed AI workloads. They can be launched instantly and scale from 16 GPUs at $9.86/hr (B200) or $6.16/hr (H100) to 256+ GPUs at $8.87/hr (B200) or $5.54/hr (H100).
What are Lambda's Superclusters?
Superclusters are single-tenant NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 clusters with NVIDIA Quantum-2 InfiniBand networking for ultimate security and performance. They provide gigawatt-scale AI factories for training and inference, designed for AI teams that need infinite scale to produce intelligence with mission-critical reliability.
Where are Lambda's data centers located?
Lambda Labs has 15 data center locations globally. Major locations include australia-east-1 (Sydney, Australia) and multiple US data centers. The platform is US-based with enterprise-grade infrastructure. For specific region availability and instance stock, check the dashboard or use the API to check availability.