# Cloud Spanner

## GCP Cloud Spanner — commitment brief

> **Data sourced**: March 2026. Verify current figures at the [Google Cloud Pricing Calculator](https://cloud.google.com/products/calculator).

### Coverage summary

Cloud Spanner supports spend-based committed use discounts (CUDs) that apply to Spanner compute capacity measured in nodes or processing units. A 1-yr commitment delivers a 20% discount and a 3-yr commitment delivers a 40% discount over on-demand pricing. Commitments are scoped to a region within a billing account and apply automatically across all eligible Spanner usage in that region — covering both single-region and multi-region configurations.

**What is covered**: Spanner compute capacity costs — nodes and processing units consumed by single-region and multi-region instance configurations in the committed region.

**What is not covered**: Spanner storage costs, backup storage, Data Boost compute, and outbound data transfer charges.

### CUD types

> Cloud Spanner offers spend-based CUDs only. You commit to a minimum hourly dollar spend on Spanner capacity in a region, rather than to a fixed number of nodes or processing units. This makes the commitment flexible if your Spanner footprint scales up or changes instance shape, as long as it remains in the committed region. Both 1-yr (20% off) and 3-yr (40% off) terms are available.

### Machine type / SKU coverage

| Configuration                             | Spend CUD | 1-yr discount | 3-yr discount | Notes                                                                            |
| ----------------------------------------- | --------- | ------------- | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Single-region instance (nodes)            | ✅ Yes     | \~20%         | \~40%         | Commitment scoped to the node's region                                           |
| Single-region instance (processing units) | ✅ Yes     | \~20%         | \~40%         | Same rates; processing units are fractional nodes                                |
| Multi-region instance                     | ✅ Yes     | \~20%         | \~40%         | Commitment applies per-region; multi-region configurations span multiple regions |
| Storage (SSD)                             | ❌ No      | —             | —             | Not covered by CUD                                                               |
| Backup storage                            | ❌ No      | —             | —             | Not covered                                                                      |
| Data Boost compute                        | ❌ No      | —             | —             | Not covered                                                                      |
| Outbound data transfer                    | ❌ No      | —             | —             | Not covered                                                                      |

## Regional availability

Available in all commercial GCP regions. Cloud Spanner spend-based CUDs are purchased per region, and the CUD applies automatically across all eligible Spanner usage in that region within the billing account. Organizations running multi-region Spanner instance configurations must purchase CUDs in each constituent region separately to achieve full coverage.

⚠️ CUD availability varies by machine type and region. Always verify at [GCP regions and zones](https://cloud.google.com/compute/docs/regions-zones) before purchasing.

### Archera

Google Cloud Spanner is within Archera's commitment management scope. Archera can automate spend-based CUD purchase for Cloud Spanner, monitor utilization across single-region and multi-region instance configurations, and wrap commitments in a GRI/GSP — eliminating downside risk on over-commitment while preserving the full 20–40% discount.

***

**Sources**

* [Committed use discounts — Cloud Spanner](https://cloud.google.com/spanner/docs/cuds)
* [Spanner committed use discounts help reduce costs (blog)](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/databases/spanner-committed-use-discounts-help-reduce-costs)
* [Spend-based committed use discounts overview](https://cloud.google.com/docs/cuds-multiprice)

⚠️ Discount percentages are approximate and region-dependent. Always verify with the [Google Cloud Pricing Calculator](https://cloud.google.com/products/calculator).


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