Runpod is no longer accepting new hosts for Community Cloud.

Community Cloud has been part of the platform since early on. Individual compute providers contributed hardware that expanded GPU availability and helped bring down prices for users running workloads that didn't require data center-grade infrastructure. That mattered, and we want to be clear about what this change does and doesn't mean.

What's changing

We're closing the host application process. No new hosts will be onboarded to Community Cloud. The hosting application form is no longer active.

This isn't a reflection of anything wrong with the program or with the hosts who participated. It's a consequence of where Runpod has grown.

Over the past few years, we've expanded Secure Cloud capacity significantly across T3 and T4 data centers. That infrastructure now covers the GPU variety and availability that users need, with the redundancy and uptime guarantees that production workloads require. This decision was guided by our customers' demands for hosting that meets specific certifications (HIPAA, SOC, etc.) which generally cannot be met by Community Cloud hosts. Community Cloud still serves a valuable place in the ecosystem for a budget conscious environment better conducive to development, tinkering, and learning.

What stays the same

Existing hosts keep operating. Your hardware stays on the platform, your provider dashboard works as it does today, and your support channels remain in place. We're not changing the terms of existing agreements.

Users can still deploy Pods on Community Cloud. All current GPU inventory remains available.

What we don't know yet

We're not announcing a shutdown timeline for Community Cloud. Existing supply will naturally change over time as hosts make their own decisions about their hardware, but we're not taking action to wind down the program. If that changes, we'll say so directly.

If you're a current host and have questions about your specific situation, reach out through your provider dashboard or email support@runpod.io.

If you're a user looking for GPU compute, Secure Cloud is the right place to start. Check the documentation for current availability and pricing across regions.

FAQs

• Can I transition to become a Secure Cloud host? Potentially, yes, but the bar to clear is much higher than with Community. You can see the requirements here.
• Was there a specific incident that triggered this? No, there was no specific incident with any host that triggered this; this has actually been policy for some time, and this announcement is just setting expectations.
• Does this signal that Community Cloud will be deprecated entirely in the future? There are no immediate plans to do this. There is a future where this could certainly happen at some point, but we will communicate this well in advance to any remaining hosts. As stated above, any contracts and agreements with Community Cloud hosts will be seen through to their conclusion.

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