The services for High-Performance Computing (HPC), NIRD storage services (NIRD Data Peak, NIRD Data Lake and Central Data Library), and Sensitive Data Services are subject to our User Contribution Model. All prices below are valid from 1 October 2025. The current version of the User Contribution model is V2.2.
All institutions, except the BOTT users (see information: Projects from the Bott Universities below), will receive a yearly invoice from Sigma2.
Categories and prices for the HPC and storage services
The cost of resources depends on the funding supporting your research project. Projects participating in EU programmes are exempted from contribution, however certain conditions apply for this to be valid. More information about projects participating in EU programmes below.
Find the category your project belongs to below to find the right price for your use.
(See prices for the Sensitive Data Services)
Category A: Non-commercial projects with allocation from our Resource Allocation Committee (RFK)
This category applies for non-commercial projects with allocation from RFK. Such projects are required to contribute to the operational expenses of the national e-infrastructure services.
Use this category in applications to the Norwegian Research Council and other funders, except the EU.
Prices for category A
| Service | Price (valid from 1 October 2025) |
| HPC CPU | 0.04 NOK per CPU-hour |
| HPC GPU (except LUMI)* | 5.6 NOK per GPU hour |
| NIRD Data Peak | 800 NOK per TB/year |
| NIRD Data Lake | 470 NOK per TB/year |
| Backup | 470 NOK per TB/year |
| Central Data Library | 0 NOK** per TB/year |
Category A prices valid through 30 September 2025 (click to open)
CPU: 0.05 NOK per CPU-hour
NIRD Data Peak: 950 NOK per TB/year
NIRD Data Lake: 510 NOK per TB/year
Backup: 510 per TB/year
Please note that the billing for CPU hours depends on the CPU usage recorded in the machine(s) queueing system. In a reservation, the CPU hours are billed based on the reserved time multiplied by the number of reserved cores, regardless of how much the reservation is actually utilised.
*GPU hour consume rate depends on the GPU generation. Please refer to our
documentation for more details. One GPU hour on LUMI in category A is 1.53 NOK per GPU
hour.
** According to the eligibility criteria in the Central Data Library policy.
Back-up cost per TB is not included in the price.
Category B: Non-commercial projects in need of dedicated resources
This category applies for non-commercial projects in need of dedicated resources, paying for capital and operational expenses.
Prices for category B
| Service | Price |
| HPC CPU | 0.08 NOK per CPU-hour |
| HPC GPU* | 15.2 NOK per GPU-hour |
| NIRD Data Peak | 1 170 NOK per TB/year |
| NIRD Data Lake | 860 NOK per TB/year |
| Backup | 860 NOK per TB/year |
| Central Data Library | 0 NOK** per TB/year |
Category B prices valid through 30 September 2025 (click to open)
CPU: 0.1 NOK per CPU-hour
NIRD Data Peak: 1 590 NOK per TB/year
NIRD Data Lake: 850 NOK per TB/year
Backup: 850 per TB/year
Please note that the billing for CPU hours depends on the CPU usage recorded in the machine(s) queueing system, except for allocations running in a reservation (Dedicated and Commercial by default). In a reservation, the CPU hours are billed based on the reserved time multiplied by the number of reserved cores, regardless of how much the reservation is actually utilised.
*GPU hour consume rate depends on the GPU generation. Please refer to our
documentation for more details. LUMI dedicated resources are not available.
** According to the eligibility criteria in the Central Data Library policy.
Back-up cost per TB is not included in the price.
Category C: Commercial research and industry
This category applies for commercial and research and industry users paying market price.
Prices for category C
| Service | Price |
| HPC CPU | 0.13 NOK per CPU-hour |
| HPC GPU (except LUMI)* | 35 NOK per GPU-hour |
| NIRD Data Peak | 1 520 NOK per TB/year |
| NIRD Data Lake | 1 120 NOK per TB/year |
| Backup | 1 120 NOK per TB/year |
| Central Data Library | 1 120 NOK** per TB/year |
Please note that the billing for CPU hours depends on the CPU usage recorded in the machine(s) queueing system, except for allocations running in a reservation (Dedicated and Commercial by default). In a reservation, the CPU hours are billed based on the reserved time multiplied by the number of reserved cores, regardless of how much the reservation is actually utilised.
* GPU hour consume rate depends on the GPU generation. Please refer to our documentation for more details. One GPU hour on LUMI in category C is 5.35 NOK per GPU-hour.
** According to the eligibility criteria in the Central Data Library policy.
Back-up cost per TB is not included in the price.
Category D: Applications to the EU, in-kind
This category applies for applications to the EU, as in-kind value.
Prices for category D
| Service | Price |
| HPC CPU | 0.08 NOK per CPU-hour |
| HPC GPU (except LUMI)* | 15.2 NOK per GPU-hour |
| Storage | 1 230 NOK per TB/year |
Please note that the billing for CPU hours depends on the CPU usage recorded in the machine(s) queueing system, except for allocations running in a reservation (Dedicated and Commercial by default). In a reservation, the CPU hours are billed based on the reserved time multiplied by the number of reserved cores, regardless of how much the reservation is actually utilised.
*GPU hour consume rate depends on the GPU generation. Please refer to our documentation for more details.
One GPU hour on LUMI is invoiced as 16 CPU hours using
the rates in the table above.
Back-up cost per TB is not included in the price.
Sensitive Data Services prices
The Sensitive Data Service (TSD) has an annual fee, invoiced by the University of Oslo/USIT, which covers two virtual machines, up to 1 TB of storage and backup, and the use of the service Nettskjema.
Additional yearly costs apply for services that are not covered by the yearly fee, such as the use of the HPC cluster, more storage, use of database and use of licensed software not included in the software portfolio. Please note that a potential invoice for extra services like this will come from the University of Oslo/USIT.
Projects supported by Sigma2 for the use of HPC or storage resources will be charged for these services according to the following price list:
(*) If the price model below will give you expenses you consider unreasonable compared to what you have paid before, please contact us at contact@sigma.no.
(**) Non-commercial projects with extraordinary needs, e.g. in terms of certain predictability for allocations within a specific time frame, due to for instance obligations or dependencies for other services.
By applying for TSD resources you accept the prices stated here and you will receive a yearly invoice from Sigma2.
| Research projects with resources granted by RFK (*) | Research projects in need of dedicated resources or with special needs (**) | |
| Yearly fee | 0 | 0 |
| Storage per TB/year | 1 000 NOK | 2 000 NOK |
| Backup per TB/year | 400 NOK | 800 NOK |
| HPC per CPU-hour | 0 | 0.14 NOK |
EU Programmes
Projects participating in EU programmes will continue to be exempted from contributing. For this to be valid, projects participating in EU calls and planning to use the Sigma2 e-infrastructure must consult with us on resource usage before submitting their EU application.
Only agreed resource usage will be exempted, and only usage proportionate to the EU funding will be exempted. Approving your resource needs does not grant you a quota; it secures Category D for the resources granted to your EU project. You must respond to all calls for resources and submit resource applications for all allocation periods throughout your EU project's lifetime. Requested quotas are subject to case handling by the Resource Allocation Committee (RFK), on equal terms with other research applications.
To apply for exemption, please complete the Sigma2 EU application form. You will need to provide:
- Which EU programme will you apply to?
- What is the status of your EU application, and when is the deadline?
- Which calendar years do you need resources for?
- Estimated amount of CPU hours and GPU hours needed per year.
- What are the estimated amounts of CPU hours, GPU hours, and storage space in TB needed each year?
It is not sufficient to provide an overview of the needs for each allocation period in resource applications only. A complete overview must be submitted to receive Category D resources.
Furthermore, you must confirm that you will inform us about the EU's decision on your application and any changes to your financing during the project's lifetime.
In cases of larger resource needs, you agree to submit resource applications to the EuroHPC JU to complement or fulfil the resources granted at the national level, if applicable.
Projects from the BOTT Universities
Each BOTT university has implemented the contribution model differently, so if your project belongs to one of our partner universities:
- The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
- The University of Bergen
- The University of Oslo
- UiT, The Arctic University,
invoicing will be handled locally at your university. Please contact your institute to get more details regarding this.
In consultation with the Norwegian Research Council and the BOTT universities, Sigma2 introduced a user contribution model in June 2018.
This aligns the policies for user contribution with other national research infrastructures and increases the funding base for national e-infrastructure.