# Databricks clusters optimization | Cloud Efficiency Hub Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks-clusters 7 documented Databricks Clusters cost inefficiencies, each with how to detect it and how to fix it. [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Databricks Clusters 7 documented Databricks Clusters cost inefficiencies, each with how to detect it and how to fix it. ## 7 inefficiencies [All services](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub#browse-by-service) - Databricks Clusters CER-0098 ### [On-Demand-Only Configuration for Non-Production Databricks Clusters](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/on-demand-only-configuration-for-non-production-databricks-clusters) In non-production environments - such as development, testing, and experimentation-many teams default to on-demand nodes out of habit or caution. However, Databricks offers built-in support for using spot instances safely. Its job... Compute - Databricks Clusters CER-0159 ### [Inefficient Use of Photon Engine in Databricks Compute](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/inefficient-use-of-photon-engine-in-databricks-compute) Photon is enabled by default on many Databricks compute configurations. While it can accelerate certain SQL and DataFrame operations, its performance benefits are workload-specific and may not justify the increased DBU cost. Many... Compute - Databricks Clusters CER-0022 ### [Missing Auto-Termination Policy for Databricks Clusters](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/missing-auto-termination-policy-for-databricks-clusters) In many environments, users launch Databricks clusters for development or analysis and forget to shut them down after use. When no auto-termination policy is configured, these clusters remain active indefinitely, incurring unnecessary... Compute - Databricks Clusters CER-0116 ### [Lack of Graviton Usage in Databricks Clusters](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/lack-of-graviton-usage-in-databricks-clusters) Databricks supports AWS Graviton-based instances for most workloads, including Spark jobs, data engineering pipelines, and interactive notebooks. These instances offer significant cost advantages over traditional x86-based VMs, with... Compute - Databricks Clusters CER-0125 ### [Oversized Worker or Driver Nodes in Databricks Clusters](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/oversized-worker-or-driver-nodes-in-databricks-clusters) Databricks users can select from a wide range of instance types for cluster driver and worker nodes. Without guardrails, teams may choose high-cost configurations (e.g., 16xlarge nodes) that exceed workload requirements. This results in... Compute - Databricks Clusters CER-0067 ### [Inefficient Autotermination Configuration for Interactive Clusters](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/inefficient-autotermination-configuration-for-interactive-clusters) Interactive clusters are often left running between periods of active use. To mitigate idle charges, Databricks provides an "autotermination" setting that shuts down clusters after a period of inactivity. However, if the termination period... Compute - Databricks Clusters CER-0008 ### [Inefficient Use of Interactive Clusters](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/inefficient-use-of-interactive-clusters) Interactive clusters are intended for development and ad-hoc analysis, remaining active until manually terminated or until their auto-termination inactivity timeout elapses. When used to run scheduled jobs or production workflows, they... Compute ## More Databricks services - [Databricks Compute 5](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks-compute) - [Databricks SQL 4](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks-sql) - [Databricks 3](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks) - [Databricks Serverless Compute 2](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks-serverless-compute) - [Databricks Workflows 2](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks-workflows) - [Delta Lake 2](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/delta-lake) - [Interactive Clusters 1](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/interactive-clusters) - [Databricks Model Serving 1](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks-model-serving) - [Databricks AI Search 1](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks-ai-search) - [Databricks Lakeflow Pipelines 1](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/databricks-lakeflow-pipelines) --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.