An Ursa Major research workstation is a virtual machine (VM) in your lab's Google Cloud project. It suits interactive work that needs more power than a laptop, a specific operating system, or software you want full control over.
What you can configure
- Machine size: CPU count, CPU type and memory, chosen when you create the VM and changeable later.
- Operating system: a range of Linux distributions and Windows.
- Persistent disks: data on persistent disks stays when the VM is stopped (disk storage is charged while it exists).
- GPUs: available on recharged projects.
Costs
- Research workstations are a Tier 2 service: they are recharged to a lab funding source under an MOU. See KB005: Ursa Major service tiers.
- Workstations set up before October 2026: some were set up under the earlier tiers, when workstations were not recharged. If your lab has one, contact research-computing@ucr.edu and we will work out its arrangement with you. Nothing changes without that conversation.
- If you need exotic hardware the HPCC does not have (such as TPUs or Arm), ask about Tier 1 exotic hardware instead, which runs through a Research Computing cluster rather than a workstation.
- For GPU work at lower cost to the lab, consider the HPCC.
- Stop VMs you are not using. A running VM uses resources whether or not you are working on it.
When a workstation is a good fit
- Interactive analysis, visualization or development.
- Software that needs administrator rights or a specific operating system.
- Short-lived environments for a course, workshop or experiment.
For long batch runs, the HPCC cluster is usually a better fit. Ask us if you are not sure.
Owner: Research Computing
Reviewed: 4 Oct 2026