Data Science Workshop (DSW) is billed based on instance runtime and specifications. DSW supports pay-as-you-go, resource plan, and subscription billing methods.
Billing overview
Billable items
Computing instances
DSW instances are categorized into public resources and dedicated resources (general computing resources or Lingjun resources), which use different billing methods.
Instance type | Billing method | Billable item | Billing rules | Stop billing |
Public resources | Pay-as-you-go | The duration that a DSW instance occupies public resources. |
For the unit price of a specific instance, see the purchase page in the console. Important Billing details: DSW instances are billed per minute, and bills are generated hourly. Due to data aggregation and processing, your bill may be delayed by 2 to 3 hours. Your final cost is subject to the actual bill. |
Important To stop an instance, you must stop it manually or configure a scheduled shutdown. For more information, see Manage DSW instances. |
Dedicated resources (general computing resources or Lingjun resources) | Subscription | The number of nodes and the subscription duration. | You purchase dedicated resources on a subscription basis. You are billed based on the number of nodes and the subscription duration. For more information, see Billing of AI computing resources. | N/A |
System disk
Billing method | Billable item | Billing rules | Stop billing |
Pay-as-you-go | System disk capacity and usage duration. | After you expand a system disk, you are charged based on the usage duration for any capacity that exceeds the free quota.
| Delete the DSW instance. Warning After a system disk is expanded, charges for the expanded capacity continue even if the DSW instance is stopped. To stop billing, back up your data and then delete the DSW instance. |
Billing examples
The following billing examples are for reference only. Your actual costs are determined by the prices on the console or purchase page.
Pay-as-you-go example
Scenario:
You create a DSW instance of the ecs.g6.13xlarge specification that uses public resources in the China (Shanghai) region. The DSW instance runs for 2 minutes.
Cost calculation:
Bill amount = 2.05 / 60 × 2 = 0.0683 USD
The preceding cost is a real-time estimate based on usage. Pay-as-you-go DSW instances are billed per minute, with bills generated hourly in the Billing Management console. Due to data aggregation, bill generation may be delayed by up to 3 hours. The bill in the Billing Management console reflects the final cost.
Subscription example
Scenario:
You create a DSW instance by using dedicated resources. You subscribe to two instances of the ecs.g6.13xlarge-52c192g specification in the China (Shanghai) region for 2 months. The price is 980.57 USD/month. The actual price is subject to the price on the purchase page.
Cost calculation:
Total amount = 2 × 980.57 × 2 = 3,922.28 USD
FAQ
Q: Charges after stopping an instance
You may still be charged after you stop a DSW instance for the following reasons:
Expanded system disk fees: If you expanded the system disk, the storage capacity that exceeds the free quota is billed even when the instance is stopped. To stop these charges, back up your data and then delete the instance.
OSS storage fees: If your instance uses resources such as OSS, you will be charged for them until they are released, even if the DSW instance is stopped. Check and clean up any associated storage resources.
Bill delay: Pay-as-you-go bills may be delayed by 2 to 3 hours. It is normal to receive a bill shortly after you stop an instance. This does not indicate continuous charges.
Troubleshooting suggestion: Switch between different workspaces and regions to confirm that all running instances and associated storage resources are stopped or released.
Q: Billing for NAT gateways and EIPs
The NAT gateway and EIP required for public access to DSW are billed as separate products and are not included in DSW instance fees. NAT gateway fees vary by region. Refer to the NAT gateway billing documentation for your region to choose a cost-effective plan. For more information about how to configure public access, see Access services in an instance over the internet.
Q: Using GPU ECS instead of PAI-DSW
Yes, you can purchase a GPU-accelerated ECS instance instead of using PAI-DSW for your AI deployments.
Core differences: With an ECS instance, you are responsible for building the AI development environment, which includes installing drivers and frameworks. PAI-DSW provides pre-configured images and a ready-to-use development environment, reducing the effort required for environment setup.
Billing reminder: When you choose the ECS solution, note that services such as the ECS instance itself, public bandwidth, cloud disks, and NAT gateways are billed separately. This differs from DSW's integrated billing model, so you must perform a comprehensive cost assessment.
For more information, see FAQ about DSW billing and bills.