OVH Notebooks Review

Who is Best For?

OVH AI Notebooks is ideal for:

• Data scientists and researchers who need powerful computing resources
• Businesses looking for a flexible, pay-as-you-go AI development platform
• Organizations requiring secure and compliant AI infrastructure
• Startups and academic institutions seeking cost-effective AI tools
• Professionals transitioning from platforms like Google Colab to more robust solutions

Key Features

Feature Descriptions

Managed Environment

OVH AI Notebooks provides a fully managed environment that eliminates the need for complex setup and maintenance. This feature is particularly beneficial for data scientists and researchers who want to focus on their work rather than dealing with infrastructure issues. The service takes care of all the underlying technical aspects, including security, updates, and resource allocation. This hands-off approach allows users to dive straight into their projects without worrying about the technical overhead. The managed environment also ensures consistency across different users and projects, making it easier for teams to collaborate and share work. Additionally, the service’s reliability and uptime are managed by OVHcloud, reducing the risk of interruptions to important research or analysis tasks.

Quick Deployment

The ability to deploy notebooks in seconds is a game-changer for productivity. This feature allows users to quickly spin up new environments for different projects or experiments without lengthy wait times. Whether you’re starting a new analysis, testing a hypothesis, or demonstrating a concept to colleagues, the rapid deployment ensures that you can get to work immediately. This speed is particularly valuable in fast-paced research environments or when working with time-sensitive data. The quick deployment also facilitates iterative work, allowing users to easily create multiple notebook instances to compare different approaches or datasets. Furthermore, this feature supports agile development practices, enabling data scientists to respond quickly to new insights or changing project requirements.

Resource Flexibility

OVH AI Notebooks offers a range of CPU and GPU resources to suit different project needs. This flexibility is crucial for optimizing both performance and cost. For computationally intensive tasks like deep learning, users can allocate powerful GPU resources to speed up training times. For less demanding tasks or data exploration, CPU resources can be used to keep costs down. The ability to scale resources up or down as needed ensures that users always have the right level of computing power for their current task. This feature also allows for efficient resource management across teams or projects, as resources can be allocated based on priority and need. The flexibility extends to the ability to change resource allocations for ongoing projects, adapting to changing requirements without needing to start from scratch.

How to Try

To try OVH AI Notebooks:

1. Create an OVHcloud Public Cloud project
2. Navigate to the AI Notebooks section in the OVHcloud Control Panel
3. Choose your preferred editor (Jupyter or VS Code) and framework
4. Select your desired CPU/GPU resources
5. Launch your notebook and start working

Pros and Cons

Pros:
✅ Flexible resource allocation
✅ Pay-per-use billing model
✅ Wide range of supported frameworks
✅ Integrated monitoring tools
✅ European data sovereignty
✅ No maximum running time

Cons:
❌ Limited availability in some regions
❌ Learning curve for users new to cloud platforms

Price

OVHcloud AI Notebooks uses a pay-as-you-go model based on the resources used:

• CPU resources: €0.03 per hour per CPU
• GPU resources (NVIDIA V100S): €1.75 per hour per GPU

Example: A notebook with 2 CPUs used for 24 hours would cost €1.44 (0.03 x 2 x 24h)

.For startups and research institutions, OVHcloud offers a startup program with up to €100,000 in cloud credits

Paid Vs Free Version

OVH AI Notebooks does not offer a free version. All usage is billed based on resource consumption.

Conclusion and Recommendation

OVH AI Notebooks offers a powerful, flexible, and cost-effective solution for data science and AI development. Its managed environment, resource flexibility, and pay-as-you-go pricing make it an attractive option for businesses, researchers, and data scientists. While it may have a slight learning curve for those new to cloud platforms, the benefits in terms of scalability, security, and performance outweigh this minor drawback. For organizations looking for a European-based, GDPR-compliant AI development platform, OVH AI Notebooks is highly recommended.

Why OVH AI Notebooks Matters

OVH AI Notebooks addresses the growing need for accessible, powerful, and secure AI development environments. As AI becomes increasingly central to business and research, platforms like this play a crucial role in democratizing access to advanced computing resources. By offering a managed solution with flexible pricing, OVH AI Notebooks enables organizations of all sizes to leverage AI technologies without significant upfront investment in infrastructure. Its focus on data sovereignty and compliance also makes it a key player in the European AI ecosystem, supporting the region’s digital autonomy and innovation capabilities