How to run a GPU instance using Amazon EC2 Panel?

Question

I would like to run a Ubuntu GPU instance from the AWS EC2 control panel, but the combo box does not have the g2.2xlarge option to select. It looks like GPU instances are available only for Amazon AMI. When I choose Ubuntu, it does not list GPU. Is there any way to make it work?

Answer 1

In order to use the g2.2xlarge instance type, you need to first select an AMI that is built with HVM (hardware assisted virtualization).

At the time of this writing, the official HVM AMIs for Ubuntu are not available in all regions, but are at least in us-east-1, us-west-2, eu-west-1.

You can type "HVM" as one of your keywords into the Ubuntu AMI finder.

I also provide an updated list of Ubuntu AMIs on Alestic.com. Simply select a region in the pulldown on the top right, then click on the orange [>] arrow next to the AMI you want to run in your account.

Answer 2

I am successfully using this AMI: ubuntu-precise-12.04-amd64-server-20130827 (ami-05abb071)