Show HN: Gpubook – An order book for GPU compute | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: Gpubook – An order book for GPU compute

gpubook.io

7 pointsjesse_portal4 comments

I rent and manage GPUs on sites like vast.ai and clore.ai. The prices are all over the place. You will see 5090s from $0.30/hr to $5/hr, plus bandwidth which is set by the gpu owner and can range from $0.4 per TB up to $12.00 per TB.

This is a concept for what an order book would look like for GPU compute instead of the current listing model. It would use standardized SKUs so users know what they are getting. Its pre product, I'm curious to know what people think.

I think the idea is a natural next step in GPU's as a service. If you can create the unifying API layer for GPU access I think that would be immensely useful.

Seems like a great idea! Couple of thoughts - you need trusted actors to deliver compute, that’s a big price driver on vast.ai and runpod whose “verified” and “secure cloud” demand far higher prices. Would some type of assurance I’m going to get what I bought would be needed for an order book to work?

Yeah 100%. For the reputation we'll have rating. Instead of rating per server/gpu though like vast.ai and clore.ai it will be for the provider, and it will match bond/credit ratings, e.g., AAA, B, C. Providers start at C (which is way cheaper but with a huge risk). As the provider begins to move up their 'credit score' increases and their contracts appreciate to match.

Regarding "verified" and "secure cloud", the idea is to have "terms". Each contract can list requirements. For example, we have secure/enterprise gpu owners who are required to collect KYC for anyone using their gpus. This can be specified as a "term" on the contract.

For the gpu owner:

list an open 4090 contract, anyone can redeem:

gpubook provider sell 4090-standard-v1 --date 2026-06-01 --ask 8.40 --terms open

list a secure/enterprise contract that requires buyer identity + compliance info:

gpubook provider sell h100-premium-v1 --date 2026-06-01 --ask 42.00 --terms identity,organization,compliance,workload

For the gpu buyer:

only buy from AAA-rated providers, and only if the terms are open:

gpubook buy h100-premium-v1 --date 2026-06-01 --bid 39.00 --min-rating AAA --open-only

buy from at least A-rated providers, and accept enterprise/KYC terms:

gpubook buy h100-premium-v1 --date 2026-06-01 --bid 42.00 --min-rating A --accept-requirements identity,organization,compliance,workload

So the book is still one market for h100-premium-v1, but each order carries its terms. A bid only matches an ask if the price crosses, the provider rating is high enough for the buyer, and the buyer has accepted the contract’s requirements. Open contracts and enterprise/KYC contracts can sit on the same book, but buyers can filter or restrict what they’re willing to take.

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