# Allocate Shared Host Costs Between Two GPUs

Allocate shared host costs between two GPUs using direct attribution first and one consistent rule for the remaining common expenses.

Author: Retrivium team
Updated: 2026-11-01
Canonical URL: https://retrivium.ai/journal/gpu-two-card-cost-allocation/
Language: en

Shared host costs between two GPUs can be divided equally, by occupied hours or using suitable measurements, provided the rule matches the decision and is applied consistently. Attribute direct costs first, then allocate the remaining common amount once.

This is useful when projects or owners share a host. The calculation does not automatically establish commercial payment terms between them.

## Define direct and common costs

CPU, system memory, boot storage and networking may support both cards. Some observations exist per device while invoices cover the complete host or site. Preserve the source and boundary for each amount.

FinOps allocation describes assigning costs to defined objects. Choose whether those objects are cards, projects or tasks. Do not mix those levels within one unexplained worksheet.

## Compare allocation rules

| Rule | Useful situation | Limitation | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Equal shares | Similar agreed access | Ignores different usage | Defined period |
| Occupied hours | Task history exists | Hours do not equal energy | Occupancy definition |
| Measured additional energy | Suitable readings exist | Baseline still needs allocation | Measurement method |
| Reserved capacity | Different agreed host shares | Depends on reservation boundary | Allocation basis |

No method is universally correct for every decision. A simple rule may explain pilot expenses adequately; evaluating workload efficiency can require more detailed measurements.

## Reconcile an illustrative total

Suppose the period costs 120 invented currency units. Attribute 40 directly to GPU A and 20 to GPU B, leaving 60 common units. Splitting the common part equally gives totals of 70 and 50. Together they still equal 120.

If the same common amount is divided by occupied hours in a two-to-one ratio, the totals become 80 and 40. The difference comes from the rule, not an arithmetic mistake. These figures are examples, not tariffs.

## Check power boundaries and record revisions

NVIDIA SMI device power is not the complete server's wall consumption. A gap between device measurements and an invoice can contain CPU, storage and other components. Align periods and units before calling the difference an error.

Record the period, method, exclusions and revision procedure. Preserve earlier versions if the allocation changes. Participants can evaluate a clear approximation more easily than a detailed worksheet with shifting assumptions.

Continue with [Allocate Electricity Costs for a Shared Research GPU](/journal/gpu-grant-electricity-cost-center/) and [Fixed and Variable GPU Costs: A Working Worksheet](/journal/gpu-fixed-variable-cost-worksheet/).

## Official references

- [FinOps Foundation — allocation](https://www.finops.org/framework/capabilities/allocation/)
- [NVIDIA — index](https://docs.nvidia.com/deploy/nvidia-smi/index.html)