Private LLM hosting vs Crusoe Cloud
We rent DGX Sparks, so weigh that against everything below. Crusoe Energy builds and operates large-scale GPU data centres, some run on otherwise-flared or stranded natural gas and other low-cost power sources, and sells that capacity as Crusoe Cloud to enterprises and labs running large training and inference clusters. A GPUwerk Spark is a much smaller unit: one dedicated node, sized for a single team's private inference, not a multi-GPU training cluster.
Side by side
| Crusoe Cloud | Dedicated DGX Spark (GPUwerk) | |
|---|---|---|
| Target workload | Large-scale training and inference clusters, many GPUs working together, typically for enterprises and labs with sustained demand. | A single team's private inference: one node, one model, running your own application. |
| Scale | Clusters of data-centre GPUs (H100, H200 and similar classes), built for workloads that need many GPUs at once. | One DGX Spark per rental, NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell, 128 GB unified memory. No multi-node scaling built in. |
| Energy story | Crusoe markets its data centres around otherwise-wasted or stranded energy sources powering GPU compute, a distinct positioning in the market. | GPUwerk does not make an energy-sourcing claim; the pitch is data location and dedicated hardware, not power provenance. |
| Commitment and sales motion | Suited to sustained, larger deployments; check their current terms for minimum commitments if you're evaluating a small workload. | No minimum term. Pay by the hour, stop or terminate whenever, per pricing. |
| Pricing model | Per-GPU-hour for data-centre-class hardware, typically at cluster scale; check their current site for a figure specific to your GPU class and commitment. | Flat $0.79/hour on-demand, $0.59/hour held, one rate regardless of model. |
| Contracts and DPA | Crusoe's own enterprise terms apply; likely negotiated for larger accounts. | A standard GDPR Article 28 DPA published free at /legal/dpa, no negotiation required. |
Cost, worked from GPUwerk's own numbers
A single Spark held continuously for a 730-hour month costs $576.70 at the $0.79/hour on-demand rate, or $430.70 at the $0.59/hour held rate, before tax, both straight from pricing. Crusoe's cluster pricing is a different order of magnitude by design: it's sold per GPU-hour across many GPUs, and their site or sales team is the right place for a figure specific to the cluster size and commitment your workload needs. The two numbers aren't really comparable unless your workload has been sized down to fit on a single Spark-class node, in which case the Crusoe side of the comparison probably doesn't apply to you either.
When Crusoe Cloud is the right choice
- Your workload is a training run or a high-throughput production service that genuinely needs many GPUs working together.
- You have sustained, large-scale compute demand that justifies an enterprise cluster commitment.
- Energy sourcing is a factor in your own procurement or sustainability reporting.
When a dedicated Spark is the right choice
- Your workload is a single team's private inference: one model, one application, moderate concurrency.
- You want to start today, pay by the hour, and stop without a minimum term or enterprise sales cycle.
- You want the shortest possible answer to who can access your data: one dedicated machine, your root keys, an operator that states in writing it doesn't read your instance's content.
FAQ
What is Crusoe Cloud actually built for?
Crusoe Energy operates large-scale GPU data centres, some powered by otherwise-flared or stranded natural gas and other low-cost energy sources, and sells that capacity as Crusoe Cloud, mainly to enterprises and labs running large training and inference clusters. It is built for scale: many GPUs working together, not a single small node for one team's internal chatbot.
Is Crusoe Cloud a fit for a single small team wanting private inference?
It can be, but it's aimed at a different point on the scale curve than a Spark. Crusoe's sales motion and minimum commitments (where they apply) tend to suit larger, sustained workloads more than a single team wanting one machine for a chatbot or internal tool. Check their current terms directly if a small deployment is what you need.
Does Crusoe Cloud have EU data centre capacity?
Crusoe has expanded its footprint over time; check their current site list directly for what's available in Europe versus North America at the time you're evaluating, since a cluster-scale build-out changes faster than most cloud region lists.
How does Crusoe Cloud pricing compare to a GPUwerk Spark?
Crusoe prices large GPU clusters, typically negotiated or listed per GPU-hour for data-centre-class hardware like H100 or H200, which is a different market than a single small node. GPUwerk charges a flat $0.79/hour on-demand for one DGX Spark, per /pricing/. The two aren't really substitutes for the same job unless your workload genuinely fits on one Spark-class node.
Can the same open-weight model run on both a Crusoe cluster and a GPUwerk Spark?
Yes, at different scales. A 70B or 120B open-weight model quantised to fit 128 GB runs fine on one Spark for moderate concurrency. The same model class, unquantised and served across many GPUs for high-throughput production traffic, is the kind of job Crusoe's clusters are built for.
GPUwerk's own rates and the 730-hour monthly figures on this page come directly from gpuwerk.com/pricing. GPUwerk has not independently verified Crusoe's current cluster pricing, region list, or commitment terms; check their own site for figures specific to your deployment.