# Overprovisioned memory allocation in Cloud Run services Canonical: https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/overprovisioned-memory-allocation-in-cloud-run-services In Cloud Run, each revision is deployed with a fixed memory allocation (e.g., 512MiB, 1GiB, 2GiB, etc.). By: PointFive Updated: 2026-09-28 [Cloud Efficiency Hub](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) # Overprovisioned Memory Allocation in Cloud Run Services The short version In Cloud Run, each revision is deployed with a fixed memory allocation (e.g., 512MiB, 1GiB, 2GiB, etc.). PointFive Research Cloud cost research at PointFive GCP service [GCP Cloud Run](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/cloud-services/gcp-cloud-run) Category [Compute](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/service-category/compute) Reference CER-0179 Type Overprovisioned Resource ## Explanation Why the waste happens and who it affects. These settings are often overestimated during initial development or copied from templates. Unlike auto-scaling platforms that adapt instance size based on workload, Cloud Run continues to bill per the allocated amount regardless of actual memory used during execution. If a service consistently uses significantly less memory than allocated, it results in avoidable overpayment for every second of billable instance time - especially for high-throughput or long-running services. Since memory and CPU are billed together based on configured values, this inefficiency compounds quickly at scale. ## Billing model The pricing dimensions that drive this cost. Billed based on: - Allocated vCPU-seconds and memory GiB-seconds of billable instance time, not per request; concurrent requests on one instance share that time - Billable instance time, rounded up to the nearest 100 ms: with request-based billing, while an instance is starting, shutting down, or processing at least one request; with instance-based billing, the full instance lifetime (minimum 1 minute) - Number of requests - Additional charges for egress and requests beyond free tier ## How to detect 4 checks to find it in your estate. - Review actual memory usage per request over a representative time window - Identify services with consistently low memory utilization relative to their configured limits - Evaluate whether higher memory tiers were chosen to solve startup latency or cold start issues that no longer apply - Cross-reference high-throughput services where per-request efficiency has significant cost impact ## How to fix 4 ways to remove the waste. - Reconfigure services with right-sized memory allocations aligned to observed usage patterns - Test progressively smaller memory configurations to find a stable baseline without introducing latency or OOM errors - Implement monitoring for memory pressure or failures to validate new settings - Use performance benchmarks and load tests in lower environments before promoting configuration changes to production ## Documentation Vendor references for pricing and configuration. - [Cloud Run pricing cloud.google.com](https://cloud.google.com/run/pricing) - [Configure memory limits for services docs.cloud.google.com](https://docs.cloud.google.com/run/docs/configuring/services/memory-limits) - [Billing settings for services docs.cloud.google.com](https://docs.cloud.google.com/run/docs/configuring/billing-settings) ## Related inefficiencies [Browse the library](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub) - GCP Cloud Run CER-0470 ### [Suboptimal Billing Mode for Cloud Run Services](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/suboptimal-billing-mode-for-cloud-run-services) Cloud Run services run under one of two billing settings. Request-based billing, the default, charges CPU and memory only while an instance is starting, shutting down or processing at least one request, and adds a per-request fee.... Compute - GCP Cloud Run CER-0471 ### [Excessive Minimum Instances in Cloud Run Services](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/excessive-minimum-instances-in-cloud-run-services) Cloud Run scales to zero by default, but the minimum instances setting keeps a number of instances started and warm so requests avoid cold starts. Those instances are billed whether or not traffic arrives. Minimums are often raised for a... Compute - GCP Compute Engine CER-0048 ### [Underutilized GCP VM Instance](https://www.pointfive.co/efficiency-hub/inefficiencies/underutilized-gcp-vm-instance) GCP VM instances are often provisioned with more CPU or memory than needed, especially when using custom machine types or legacy templates. If an instance consistently consumes only a small portion of its allocated resources, it likely... Compute --- Source: the public page above. Product screenshots and illustrative interfaces are examples, not live customer data.