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A prepared image helps you begin, but the pilot should produce a repeatable launch. Preserve configuration, versions, region and billable components with measurements.
Scaleway offers GPU Instances and other AI products. Decide whether you want control of a compute instance or a more managed service. This review focuses on an infrastructure instance and a reproducible technical test for your own model.
Current to 1 November 2026, it uses official pages rather than comparative speed, availability or pricing tests.
Choose before the first launch
The GPU Instances page starts resource selection. Record GPU, VRAM, host and intended location. Choose for the model and request profile rather than the catalogue’s newest accelerator.
For several GPUs, clarify their usage and connections. Combined memory does not mean the engine automatically treats several devices as one card. Check this before expanding the budget.
The reviewed range includes L4, L40S, H100 options and a Blackwell direction. Multi-card scenarios require particular configurations, not generations alone. Check zones and availability with model requirements before agreeing the test window.
A prepared image is only the beginning
The Scaleway quickstart describes instance creation and environment selection. A prepared image can reduce manual setup but does not replace recording versions, settings and downloaded weights.
Save post-launch actions and repeat deployment from the recipe. If the second instance needs manual dependency searches, the pilot has not yet produced a portable result. This is an operating check for the team, not a property unique to one provider.
Evaluate the charges
The Instances FAQ explains general resource rules. Check applicability to the chosen GPU product, state and period. Include storage, network and necessary related components.
Do not assume setup waiting is unbilled or that closing a session ends every charge. Test completion: preserve artifacts, remove unnecessary resources and reconcile what remains. This gives a short experiment understandable budget control.
A time-limited team scenario
Suppose a team has a few days to evaluate one model. It confirms configuration availability, prepares inputs and tests quality, short and long context, streaming and ordinary restart.
Compare measurements with preparation effort. If the engine settings or queue are the constraint, reflect that in the next experiment. A more powerful resource should not replace diagnosis. A successful test does not prove a future customer stream.
Compare cloud and owned servers
Scaleway can provide an external workload reference. Owned equipment also needs placement costs, availability and support. Cloud rental is not a way to submit private cards to the provider.
Read software reproducibility and the three-provider comparison.