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I really do not like that because the ban feels fuzzy. If you are a researcher exploring those algorithms and using Colab because you have very limited GPU acce

I really do not like that because the ban feels fuzzy. If you are a researcher exploring those algorithms and using Colab because you have very limited GPU access of you own, you might now be worried that your very own topic of research will get you banned from the ressource you are using.

ethbr0 4y ago
I'd assume they recognized this, which is why it's implemented as a warning rather than a ban. Wouldn't be surprised if this is the first step towards correlating "Are you the 1% using huge amounts of Colab time to only run deepfake models?" We'll see what the follow-up is, but at least the initial implementation seems less auto-ban-y than more mature Google services default to.
humanistbot 4y ago
It's only banned for the free tier.
- rockemsockem 4y ago
  This small fact makes a huge difference. A researcher can certainly afford colab's modestly priced pro tier.
- heavyset_go 4y ago
  Can anyone confirm that it works on their Pro tier and not just their Pro+ tier that costs 5x more a month?
- nmfisher 4y ago
  I’m putting down my pitchfork, this makes all the difference. That’s totally reasonable to stop people abusing a free service (to the detriment of everyone else). Same basket as banning crypto mining as far as I’m concerned.
hugh-avherald 4y ago
Your complaint appears to be "funding is a constraint on research".
- chroem- 4y ago
  By default, Google will not allow you to access GPU instances on regular GCP. The GPU quota is initialized to zero and you have to open a support ticket in order to request GPU access, justifying why your use case deserves access. Evidently, "personal research project" is not a valid use case, so that leaves Colab as the only other option in the Google ecosystem. AWS has a similar quota policy, but they seem less strict about use cases.
  - peytoncasper 4y ago
    I'm not so sure this is true. I was able to get access to a GPU quota of 1 on GCP within 2 minutes. I highly doubt anyone reviewed what I wrote. I'm not sure how many you were requesting access to, but I suspect the main reason for gating higher counts are cost related. Quite obviously they are not cheap.
    - whymauri 4y ago
      I've found that it varies. When I was at MIT, students and affiliates got credits and instances like candy (I feel like the school brand lowered friction). But then on Reddit, Stack Overflow, or Github I see a lot of people struggling to get quota (even when paying for the highest Colab tier).
  - dekhn 4y ago
    This is garbage- you don't have to write a business justficiation that is used to determine whether you are worthy of GPUs. Stop spreading fud.
    - chroem- 4y ago
      Yes, you do. I went through this exact process in Fall 2021. I invite you to attempt to set up a personal GCP account for hobby use in the current GPU shortage, and share your experience.

ethbr0 4y ago

I'd assume they recognized this, which is why it's implemented as a warning rather than a ban. Wouldn't be surprised if this is the first step towards correlating "Are you the 1% using huge amounts of Colab time to only run deepfake models?" We'll see what the follow-up is, but at least the initial implementation seems less auto-ban-y than more mature Google services default to.

humanistbot 4y ago

It's only banned for the free tier.

rockemsockem 4y ago
This small fact makes a huge difference. A researcher can certainly afford colab's modestly priced pro tier.
heavyset_go 4y ago
Can anyone confirm that it works on their Pro tier and not just their Pro+ tier that costs 5x more a month?
nmfisher 4y ago
I’m putting down my pitchfork, this makes all the difference. That’s totally reasonable to stop people abusing a free service (to the detriment of everyone else). Same basket as banning crypto mining as far as I’m concerned.

hugh-avherald 4y ago

Your complaint appears to be "funding is a constraint on research".

chroem- 4y ago
By default, Google will not allow you to access GPU instances on regular GCP. The GPU quota is initialized to zero and you have to open a support ticket in order to request GPU access, justifying why your use case deserves access. Evidently, "personal research project" is not a valid use case, so that leaves Colab as the only other option in the Google ecosystem. AWS has a similar quota policy, but they seem less strict about use cases.
- peytoncasper 4y ago
  I'm not so sure this is true. I was able to get access to a GPU quota of 1 on GCP within 2 minutes. I highly doubt anyone reviewed what I wrote. I'm not sure how many you were requesting access to, but I suspect the main reason for gating higher counts are cost related. Quite obviously they are not cheap.
  - whymauri 4y ago
    I've found that it varies. When I was at MIT, students and affiliates got credits and instances like candy (I feel like the school brand lowered friction). But then on Reddit, Stack Overflow, or Github I see a lot of people struggling to get quota (even when paying for the highest Colab tier).
- dekhn 4y ago
  This is garbage- you don't have to write a business justficiation that is used to determine whether you are worthy of GPUs. Stop spreading fud.
  - chroem- 4y ago
    Yes, you do. I went through this exact process in Fall 2021. I invite you to attempt to set up a personal GCP account for hobby use in the current GPU shortage, and share your experience.