How recharge works
Some services are paid for by the lab from a UCR funding source (a chart of accounts string, or COA). This is called a recharge. Recharge rates are set by the unit that runs the service and approved through campus processes. Other services carry no recharge to the lab under current terms. Those depend on continued campus funding and are subject to eligibility and limits.
Current published rates
| Item | Rate | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| HPCC annual lab registration (UC internal rate) | $1,000 per lab per year | HPCC Recharging Rates 2026/2027 | Oct 2026 |
| HPCC extra storage, TB plan (UC internal rate) | $1,000 per 10 TB per year | HPCC Recharging Rates 2026/2027 | Oct 2026 |
| HPCC extra storage, GB plan (UC internal rate) | $25 per 100 GB per year | HPCC Recharging Rates 2026/2027 | Oct 2026 |
| HPCC owned-storage maintenance | $260 per 10 TB of backed-up storage per year | HPCC Recharging Rates 2026/2027 | Oct 2026 |
| HPCC labor rate (UC internal) | $52 per hour | HPCC Recharging Rates 2026/2027 | Oct 2026 |
| HPCC storage included with a standard user account | 50 GB | HPCC Recharging Rates 2026/2027 | Oct 2026 |
| CephRDS rental (pilot terms) | $50 per TB per year | CephRDS Sustainability and Financial Model (Research Computing, Sep 2026) | Sep 2026 |
| CephRDS purchased capacity (pilot terms) | $250 per usable TB, one time, for the 5-year hardware lifecycle | CephRDS Sustainability and Financial Model (Research Computing, Sep 2026) | Sep 2026 |
| Cloud account setup fee (enclave, cloud discount programs) | $135 one time | ITS recharge terms (set out in the MOU); confirmed by Research Computing | Oct 2026 |
| Cloud account annual support fee (enclave, cloud discount programs) | $407 per year | ITS recharge terms (set out in the MOU); confirmed by Research Computing | Oct 2026 |
HPCC figures are UC internal rates. External and non-UC rates differ: see the HPCC Recharging Rates. CephRDS rates are pilot terms. Cloud usage itself is billed at the rates in the University of California agreement with each provider, and set out in your MOU.
Services without a recharge under current terms
Some services carry no recharge to the lab today:
- Campus collaboration storage (Google Drive, OneDrive) within the quotas ITS publishes on its storage page.
- Ursa Major Tier 1: AI model access for research (with a per-lab allowance), exotic hardware not available on the HPCC (by consultation, within limits set per project), and archive storage. See KB005: Ursa Major service tiers. Other Ursa Major cloud work is recharged.
- National allocations (NSF ACCESS, NAIRR Pilot, NRP Nautilus, OSG), which are awarded by those programs rather than sold.
- Consultation with Research Computing on choosing services, planning projects and grant preparation. There is no charge for consultation.
- Cloud research credits: Google and AWS both run research credit programs that can offset cloud costs. Credits are awarded by the provider, not by UCR. See Cloud accounts.
"No recharge under current terms" describes the present arrangement. It does not commit Research Computing or ITS to continuing it, or to any particular level of service or capacity.
Limits and fair use
Shared resources have limits so that everyone can use them. Quotas, queue priorities, maximum run times, storage allowances and eligibility rules are set by each service and may be adjusted as demand and funding change. Where a page says a resource is available "within limits", the governing terms say what those limits are. If you cannot find them, ask us before you rely on them.
Budgeting for a grant
For proposals, budget from the official rate sheets and include recharge services as direct costs where your sponsor allows. See the grant toolkit for facilities text and templates, or ask for a consultation.