You can make money with your GPU when you don’t use it. It is enough that you lend it to those who train AI models

To execute and offer tools based on generative artificial intelligence, a lot of calculation power is needed (and that leads to a lot of energy). Therefore, the most powerful market cards and specific processors for Datacenters They are so quoted today, hence companies such as Nvidia, which specializes in this market, are reaping such an overwhelming success. And since not everyone can afford a powerful graphics card to experiment with AI, there is a service that we see more and more common: to rent a graphics card to remove an extra money. There are several platforms to get it and under these lines we tell you everything you need to know.

How the business works. The model consists of acting as a host in a Marketplace where clients are looking for GPU instances for their AI projects. You set the price per hour, the platform manages payments and the client executes their work in an isolated container on your machine. You could say that it is like an Airbnb, but focused on computer hardware.

Instances with an rtx 4090 in vast ai

Numbers that we must take into account. An RTX 4090 is usually Between about 0.20 and 0.60 dollars per hour in these marketplaces, depending on the demand. In the best theoretical scenario, operating 24 hours a day for a full month, a high -end GPU could invoice around 240 gross dollars monthly (considering that we put it for rent 24 hours a day). But reality is usually more modest, since we have to discount what we pay on our electrical bill, the platform commissions (which can reach 24% in Platforms like Runpod) and, above all, that real occupation is rarely 100%.

Expanding market. The price difference between traditional cloud giants (AWS, Google Cloud) and these P2P marketplaces is considerable. While renting a GPU on AWS can cost three or six times more, platforms such as Runpod or Vast AI offer access to very powerful graphics cards, as is the case of RTX 4090, for a few cents the time. And of course, these prices are really attractive to developers who want to experiment with artificial intelligence but do not have means to have a team comparable to the projects they work on.

What you should know before starting. Turning your PC into a rental server is not plug-and-play. In most cases you need Install Linuxconfigure updated NVIDIA drivers, open network ports And keep your team working for the hours for which you have committed to offer it, together with adequate refrigeration, which will be necessary if your GPU is going to start working much more and for much longer. In addition, your customers expect the machine to be available when they hire it, which means that you will not be able to use it for gaming or personal work. It should also be noted that the income generated is also subject to taxation and it is possible that it is required to register as an economic activity in cases where income exceeds a certain threshold.

There are certain risks. Beyond the wear that the hardware can receive for being constantly working, there are maximum performance, there are some security concerns. Although platforms use containers to isolate workloads, some experts warn about possible Vulnerabilities in multi-tean environments (those environments that serve several users) that could compromise our data or use the GPU to improper purposes.

Is it worth it? For most users with a single GPU, the benefits are modest once all expenses and others are discounted. Now, the business makes more sense if you already have the amortized hardware, do not pay too much on your electrical bill and accounts with certain technical knowledge to maintain the stable system. Even more if you have a potential graphics card or level for datacentes. As an experiment or complementary income experiment it can be interesting, but do not expect it to make you rich.

First steps. If you want to try it, start with offers “interruptibles“, that is, cheaper but that can be canceled, in order to know the real demand. Vast.ai and Runpod They offer detailed documentation to become host, including step -by -step guides and preconfigured templates. Of course, it is advisable to always control real electrical consumption and establish operation limits to prevent your equipment from becoming a slave to the background processes.

Cover image | She Don

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