Google Associate Cloud EngineerPlanning and configuring a cloud solutionMedium
A research institution needs to process a massive amount of genomic data (petabytes) for a single, large-scale scientific simulation. The simulation is fault-tolerant and can recover from interruptions. The institution wants to minimize compute costs as much as possible, and the job can run for several days. Which Compute Engine VM type is the most cost-effective for this scenario?
- AHigh-CPU VMs
- BStandard VMs
- CPreemptible VMs
- DSole-Tenant Nodes
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Preemptible VMs
Preemptible VMs are highly cost-effective (up to 80% cheaper than Standard VMs) and are suitable for fault-tolerant workloads that can withstand VM preemption (termination) within 24 hours. Given the simulation is fault-tolerant and cost is a primary concern, Preemptible VMs are the ideal choice.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. High-CPU VMs offer more CPU relative to memory, but they are still standard VMs and not the most cost-effective for fault-tolerant, interruptible workloads.
- B. Standard VMs are for general-purpose workloads and are significantly more expensive than Preemptible VMs.
- D. Sole-Tenant Nodes provide dedicated physical servers for specific compliance or licensing needs and are much more expensive than other VM types.
Compute Engine Preemptible VMs
Low-cost virtual machine instances that can be preempted (terminated) by Compute Engine if resources are needed elsewhere. Ideal for fault-tolerant, batch, or non-critical workloads.
- Up to 80% cheaper than standard VMs
- Can be preempted after up to 24 hours (or sooner if resources are scarce)
- Workloads must be fault-tolerant and checkpointable
- Good for batch processing, scientific simulations, rendering
Memory trick: Preemptible VMs are cheap because they can be cut short.