AWS raises GPU prices 15% on a Saturday, hopes you weren't paying attention (www.theregister.com)

AWS has quietly raised its GPU prices by approximately 15% for its EC2 Capacity Blocks tailored for machine learning (ML) applications. The price hike affects specific instance types, such as the p5e.48xlarge and p5en.48xlarge, with hourly rates rising significantly across various regions. This adjustment follows a previous announcement of price reductions for other GPU instances and raises concerns among users who rely on these capacity blocks for guaranteed access to GPU resources for critical ML workloads. Pricing adjustments are attributed to supply and demand patterns, according to an Amazon spokesperson. This increase marks a significant shift in AWS's pricing strategy, suggesting the company's longstanding trend of decreasing prices may be coming to an end. For enterprises, particularly those with Enterprise Discount Programs, the price hike complicates existing cost structures as discounted rates become more expensive in absolute terms. The move could provide a competitive edge for rivals like Azure and GCP, who can leverage AWS's price increase to attract new customers seeking more stable pricing for ML workloads. Ultimately, this incident could set a precedent for future pricing changes across AWS services, challenging the expectation that prices only trend downward and making it essential for businesses to reassess their cloud dependency strategies.