# Compute overview

Mithril offers two core mechanisms for provisioning compute:

1. **Short-term reserved instances:** Reservations give you guaranteed access to interconnected nodes. Reserved instances are typically useful for large, preplanned workloads like training that need to run uninterrupted. You can reserve instances in advance for as little as 3 hours and for up to 2 weeks. Reserved instance pricing is adjusted gradually based on overall supply and demand.
2. **Spot instances:** Spot instances provide a more dynamic way to access compute. To use spot instances, you submit a limit-price order that specifies the *maximum* price per GPU-hour you are willing to pay. Whenever the spot price is *lower* than your limit price, your spot instances spin up. See [spot-auction-mechanics](https://docs.mithril.ai/compute-and-storage/spot-bids/spot-auction-mechanics "mention") to learn more.

## Provisioning compute

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th><th data-hidden data-card-cover data-type="files"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Making reservations</strong></td><td></td><td>Reserve interconnected nodes for as little as 3 hours for preplanned workloads.</td><td><a href="reserving-compute">reserving-compute</a></td><td><a href="https://content.gitbook.com/content/fr8691qLOTHTNFNLDqAa/blobs/eAN7fazE0FHg5ntUkLJg/Frame%20628089.png">Frame 628089.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Creating spot orders</strong></td><td></td><td>Burst capacity by placing limit-price orders for spot instances.</td><td><a href="spot-bids">spot-bids</a></td><td><a href="https://content.gitbook.com/content/fr8691qLOTHTNFNLDqAa/blobs/CCtYyIdcaTr501Ixeal6/Frame%20628092.png">Frame 628092.png</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Spot auction mechanics</strong></td><td></td><td>Understand how the Mithril spot auction works and best practices for limit-price bids.</td><td><a href="spot-bids/spot-auction-mechanics">spot-auction-mechanics</a></td><td><a href="https://content.gitbook.com/content/fr8691qLOTHTNFNLDqAa/blobs/61Nf7mMsEEBQlGtwCutL/Frame%20628091.png">Frame 628091.png</a></td></tr></tbody></table>