Teradata VantageCloud Lake is Teradata’s cloud-native deployment of its database, built around a primary cluster and optional compute clusters that read data from object storage.[5] Its pricing has two dimensions, compute and storage. There are two pricing models, Committed Capacity and On Demand Capacity, and three packages: Standard, Lake and Lake+. Teradata sums this up as “2×2×3”.[1] Compute is measured in Units, and storage in terabytes.[1] VantageCloud Lake runs on Google Cloud, AWS and Azure, and can be bought on each provider’s marketplace.[1] For the overall Teradata model, see Teradata licensing.
Editions
All three packages use the same Unit price. They differ in the rate at which they consume Units and in the features and services included.[1]
| Package | Consumption rate | Example entry price | Adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | Base rate; USD 1.50 per Unit | From USD 4.80/hour (3.2 Units/hour) | Teradata Database, ClearScape Analytics with Open Analytics Framework, block, object and backup storage, governance and observability, basic support services[1] |
| Lake | Base rate + 25% | From USD 6.00/hour (4 Units/hour) | Automatic and dynamic compute scaling, real-time observability, Premier Cloud Support, more compliance standards[1] |
| Lake+ | Base rate + 50% | From USD 7.20/hour (4.8 Units/hour) | Advanced services (cost and performance assessments), white-glove support, Teradata industry data models[1] |
The entry prices assume a 3-year commitment billed annually and a 2-node XSmall cluster on AWS US East. They exclude high-performance block storage.[1] Teradata introduced Standard as a lower-cost edition. Its announcement states that Standard package Units “are consumed 20% slower” than Units in the mid-tier package.[7] The same guide also prices Teradata AI Unlimited, an on-demand AI/ML engine, from USD 1.90/hour plus the cloud provider’s service cost.[1]
Metrics
| Teradata term | Catalog row | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unit | Unit (VantageCloud Lake compute) | Compute charged per Unit, consumed per minute with a one-minute minimum.[1] |
| Terabyte | Terabyte of storage | Storage “measured and paid for in terabytes”, in block and object tiers.[1] |
The Lake Unit is related to, but not the same as, the Teradata Unit on Teradata’s current pricing page. That page treats the Unit as a currency across compute, storage, software and AI.[8] The Lake guide prices storage separately per terabyte.[1]
Counting / floors
Rate tables. A system’s consumption rate depends on the package, the cluster type (Primary or Compute) and size, and the cloud provider.[1] The guide’s example for AWS gives these rates:
| Size | Primary cluster, Units/node/hour (Standard / Lake / Lake+) | Compute cluster, Units/cluster/hour (Standard / Lake / Lake+) |
|---|---|---|
| XSmall | 1.6 / 2.0 / 2.4 | 8 / 10 / 12 |
| Small | 3.2 / 4.0 / 4.8 | 16 / 20 / 24 |
| Medium | 5.6 / 7.0 / 8.4 | 32 / 40 / 48 |
| Large | 8.0 / 10.0 / 12.0 | 64 / 80 / 96 |
| XLarge | 10.4 / 13.0 / 15.6 | 128 / 160 / 192 |
| 2XLarge | 16.0 / 20.0 / 24.0 | 256 / 320 / 384 |
| 3XLarge (primary only) | 30.4 / 38.0 / 45.6 | n/a |
Source: VantageCloud Lake Pricing guide, Spotlight: Units.[1] Analytic GPU compute clusters have their own, higher rates.[1] Primary clusters scale from 2 to 128 nodes, or 2 to 9 nodes on Standard.[1] Catalog: Lake Unit consumption rate depends on package, cluster type and size, and cloud.
Metering. Units are consumed per minute, with a one-minute minimum.[1] The Lake documentation states that Units are consumed only when compute resources “are active and available to perform workloads”. Primary cluster consumption per hour equals the instance size multiplied by the instance count.[2] The pricing guide names auto-suspend and scheduled uptime features as ways to control costs.[1] Catalog: VantageCloud Lake Units are metered per minute with a one-minute minimum; Lake Units are consumed only while compute is active.
Worked example. The guide’s first example is a 2-node XSmall primary cluster on the Standard package, running all month. It consumes 2,336 Units a month at 1.6 Units/node/hour, which costs USD 3,504 at USD 1.50 per Unit. Adding 4 TB of block storage at USD 1,445/TB/year brings the monthly total to USD 3,986 on a 3-year commitment.[1]
Estimates. The Lake Console shows estimates while an environment is being configured. The maximum estimate for a primary cluster is instance size × number of instances × Units per hour × hours. For a compute profile it is cluster size × maximum number of clusters × Units per hour × hours.[3] Groups of compute clusters can automatically add clusters based on resource demand or the number of active queries,[5] so the maximum estimate is the relevant ceiling for budgeting. Catalog: Lake maximum consumption estimate formulas.
Storage floors. High-performance database block storage costs USD 2,890/TB/year in the package footnote. It has a minimum of 1 TB per node and 2 nodes.[1] The worked examples use USD 1,445/TB/year for block storage and USD 276/TB/year for object storage.[1] Teradata does not explain the difference between the two block storage figures, so the order document should be checked. The Console reports committed block storage against provisioned block and object usage. Backup storage and Native Object Storage are not included in consumption data.[2] Catalog: Lake block storage minimum: 1 TB per node, 2 nodes; Lake backup storage and NOS are outside consumption data.
Virtualization & partitioning
VantageCloud Lake has no core or processor licensing. The equivalent of partitioning is the size and number of clusters. After provisioning, the primary cluster can be scaled up or down by at most two instance sizes per request, through a change request at support.teradata.com. Once the restart completes, the customer is charged for the new instance size.[4] Changes to compute cluster size also change the Unit consumption rate.[2] Compute clusters hold no permanent data and can be added or removed as workloads require.[5] Catalog: Lake primary cluster resize: up to two sizes, charged at the new size.
Cloud / BYOL
VantageCloud Lake is sold as a service on Google Cloud, AWS and Azure, either directly or through each provider’s marketplace.[1] The Unit price is set by Teradata. The guide’s example rates apply to AWS, and rates vary by cloud service provider.[1] No document grants a right to apply existing on-premises Teradata licences to Lake.
Programs
- Committed Capacity. The customer pre-purchases compute and storage for a defined period, “typically one to three years”, at discounted rates.[1] A minimum annual commitment applies, and it varies by package.[1] Catalog: Lake Committed Capacity has a minimum annual commitment that varies by package.
- On Demand Capacity. The customer pays as it goes, without a long-term commitment.[1]
- Overage. Compute or storage used above Committed Capacity is billed at the on-demand rate unless the commitment is increased.[1] Catalog: Usage above Lake Committed Capacity is billed at the on-demand rate.
- Blended compute. The guide describes a “blended model” that combines fixed capacity for essential operations with on-demand resources for flexible workloads.[1] Teradata’s current Fixed + Flex Pricing continues this approach.[8]
Audits and compliance
Lake compliance is a metering exercise, not a licence count. Organization administrators see compute consumption by environment, organization and compute group, with hourly to monthly intervals and spreadsheet downloads.[2] Consumption alerts are created by default for each organization. Administrators can set up to four threshold levels and five alerts.[6] The guide also mentions cost thresholds, spending alerts and locked-in rates for longer commitments.[1] To avoid on-demand overage, a licence manager should compare cumulative Unit consumption with the committed quantity well before the end of each annual period.
Out of scope
- The Teradata Master Agreement and Lake order forms, including the exact minimum commitments, which are not public.
- Marketplace private offer terms on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud.
- Teradata AI Unlimited in depth, and the free ClearScape Analytics Experience environment.
- Teradata Cloud (formerly VantageCloud Enterprise), covered in Teradata Cloud and VantageCloud Enterprise licensing.