# Cloud GPUs by the hour, billed by the second in pounds. > Hourly GPU rental for UK teams: top up a balance in pounds (minimum £25), request a GPU from your panel and pay by the second, only while it runs. Our team confirms each request during support hours (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time), and billing starts only when the GPU is running. Machines run in EU data centres, you connect over SSH, and everything stops automatically when your balance runs out, so a forgotten job cannot run up a bill. Source: https://wharfcloud.co.uk/gpu · Last updated 21 October 2026 · WharfCloud ## At a glance - **Billing:** Per second, from a prepaid balance - **Currency:** Pounds sterling, no VAT added - **Minimum top up:** £25 - **Location:** EU data centres only - **Access:** SSH, from your panel - **Start:** Requests confirmed Mon to Fri, 08:00 to 18:00 UK - **Safety net:** Automatic stop at zero balance ## How billing works 1. **Create an account and top up.** Add at least £25 to your balance by card. Your first top-up is checked by a person before you can start GPUs; this keeps fraud off the platform. 2. **Request a GPU.** The panel shows the GPU types available right now and the per-second price of each, in pounds. Send a request and our team confirms it during support hours (Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time); we email you when the GPU is starting. Nothing is charged while a request waits, and you can cancel it. 3. **Run your job.** Once the GPU is running, connect over SSH and work as you would on any Linux machine. Usage is deducted from your balance minute by minute, from the moment it is running. 4. **Stop when you are done.** Stop the GPU from the panel. If your balance runs low we email you; if it reaches zero the GPU stops automatically. Starting a stopped GPU again may also need a confirmation from our team; the panel tells you when it does. Prices change with GPU availability, so we show the current per-second rate in the panel rather than printing a table here that could be out of date. > **Stopped GPUs and their disks** Storage left behind after a GPU stops is removed after the period shown in your panel if your balance stays empty. We email you before anything is deleted. ## What people use it for - Fine-tuning or evaluating open-weight models without buying hardware. - Batch inference, transcription and embedding jobs that run for hours, not months. - Rendering, simulation and research workloads with a clear start and finish. - Trying a GPU type before committing to a [Private AI server](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/private-ai-server). Cryptocurrency mining and anything that breaks our [acceptable use policy](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/legal/acceptable-use) is not allowed. ## Limits that protect you - A cap on how many GPUs one account can run at the same time, raised on request once you have a history with us. - A spending limit per account, so a mistake in a script cannot drain a large balance in one go. - Automatic stop when your balance runs out, so spending is limited to what you have topped up. ## Price - **Pay as you go:** Per-second rate shown in the panel for each GPU type. Minimum top up £25. Prices in GBP. No VAT is added: we are not VAT registered. Order online: https://wharfcloud.co.uk/app/order/hourly-gpu?plan=pay-as-you-go ## Questions we get asked ### How much does a GPU cost per hour? It depends on the GPU type and current availability. Your panel shows the current per-second price in pounds for every available GPU before you send a request, and that price is fixed for the GPU you request. ### How quickly can I start a GPU? You can send a request from your panel at any time. Our team confirms GPU requests during support hours, Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time, and we email you when the GPU is starting. You are not charged until it is running, and you can cancel the request before then. A request that is not confirmed in time expires, and we tell you. ### Where do the GPUs run? In EU data centres only. We do not run hourly GPUs outside the EU. ### What is the minimum top up? £25, paid by card. You can top up more at any time. ### Can I keep a GPU running permanently? You can, but if you need one around the clock a [Private AI server](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/private-ai-server) at a fixed monthly price is usually better value and comes managed. --- WharfCloud is a trading name of Sunucu Internet Services Consultancy Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 12963678. Not VAT registered. Support: engineers Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time. Critical incidents: A person responds to critical incidents within 1 hour (Every day, 07:00 to 23:00 UK time). Automated monitoring and automated recovery overnight and at weekends. Contact: hello@wharfcloud.co.uk · https://wharfcloud.co.uk/contact