Self-host vs API — at what volume does renting a GPU win?
Open-weight models can run on rented GPUs (~$1–$4/hr for an A100 / H100) or via per-token APIs. Plug in your numbers; we'll show the breakeven curve.
Monthly input tokens
30,000,000
@ 1,000,000/day
Monthly output tokens
15,000,000
@ 500,000/day
Self-host GPU
Nvidia RTX 4000 Ada
needs 18 GB VRAM
Self-host monthly
$144
24/7 on cheapest provider
Self-host on Nvidia RTX 4000 Ada
Cheapest fitting GPU for OLMo 3 7B at FP16. Live at RunPod at $0.2/hr → $144/month at 24/7 utilisation.
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