specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
provider: Google Colab
providerId: google-colab
publisherName: Google LLC
serviceCategory: Notebook / ML Compute
created: '2026-05-04'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-04, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-05'
reconciled: true
tags:
  - Notebooks
  - Machine Learning
  - Google Cloud
  - FinOps
  - FOCUS
description: 'FOCUS-aligned FinOps for Google Colab: consumer Colab (Pro/Pro+/PAYG) bills monthly via
  the Google Account billing surface using compute-unit consumption; Colab Enterprise bills hourly through
  the standard Google Cloud Billing pipeline as Vertex AI usage. Colab compute units are the primary
  spend lever for non-enterprise users.'
sources:
  - https://colab.research.google.com/signup
  - https://cloud.google.com/colab/pricing
  - https://research.google.com/colaboratory/faq.html
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Subscription + Pay-As-You-Go
  billingFrequency: Monthly
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
    - Usage
    - Purchase
    - Tax
    - Adjustment
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: Colab / Colab Enterprise
  ServiceCategory: AI Compute / Notebooks
  ProviderName: Google
  PublisherName: Google LLC
  InvoiceIssuerName: Google LLC
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
meters:
  - name: compute_units
    description: Compute units consumed by attached runtimes (consumer Colab)
    unit: compute_unit
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - subscription
      - gpu_class
      - user
  - name: subscription_seat
    description: Active Colab Pro / Pro+ subscription seats
    unit: seat-month
    aggregation: max
    dimensions:
      - tier
  - name: enterprise_runtime_hours
    description: Vertex AI runtime hours for Colab Enterprise notebooks
    unit: instance-hour
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - machine_type
      - accelerator
      - region
      - project
  - name: storage_gb_month
    description: Notebook storage consumed (Drive for consumer Colab; GCS for Enterprise)
    unit: GB-month
    aggregation: sum
    dimensions:
      - storage_backend
apis:
  - name: Colab Notebook
    baseURL: https://colab.research.google.com
    serviceName: Colab Notebook
    serviceCategory: Notebook
  - name: Colab Enterprise (Vertex AI)
    baseURL: https://aiplatform.googleapis.com
    serviceName: Vertex AI Notebooks
    serviceCategory: AI Compute
principles:
  - name: Visibility
    description: For consumer Colab, view compute-unit balance and burn rate in the runtime UI ("Resource
      Usage" panel) and the Subscriptions page; for Colab Enterprise, use the standard Cloud Billing detailed
      export to BigQuery filtered to Vertex AI Notebooks SKUs.
  - name: Allocation
    description: Allocate consumer Colab spend by user (each subscription is per-Google-account); for
      Enterprise, tag Vertex AI notebook runtimes with team/project labels and pivot the FOCUS export
      by labels.
  - name: Optimization
    description: Match GPU class to workload (e.g., T4 for prototyping, A100 only for serious training);
      shut down idle runtimes promptly since compute units accrue continuously while connected; prefer
      PAYG bundles when usage is bursty rather than steady.
  - name: Accountability
    description: Designate per-team Colab subscription owners; for Enterprise, set Cloud Billing budget
      alerts on the Vertex AI Notebooks service per project; review monthly compute-unit burn and re-tier
      where appropriate.
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: kin@apievangelist.com