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title: "Virtual Machines"
description: >-
  TIR Virtual Machines are full-OS compute environments with root access, a dedicated kernel, and hardware-level isolation — available on GPU, CPU, and Private Cluster configurations.
displayed_sidebar: tirSideBar
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# Virtual Machines

TIR Virtual Machines (VMs) are **full operating system environments**. Unlike container-based Instances, TIR VMs give you a dedicated Linux kernel, complete root access, and hardware-level isolation. VMs are available on **GPU**, **CPU**, and **Private Cluster** configurations — making them ideal for GPU-accelerated workloads, OS-level customization, custom kernel modules, and workloads that require stronger compute isolation.

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## What Can You Do with a TIR VM?

| Capability | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| **GPU acceleration** | Run NVIDIA GPU workloads with full driver control and custom kernel modules |
| **Full root access** | Install any package, service, or driver without restrictions |
| **Custom kernel modules** | Load NVIDIA drivers, eBPF programs, custom filesystems |
| **Startup automation** | Run scripts on every boot using the built-in startup script runner |
| **Live SSH key sync** | Add or rotate SSH keys without restarting the VM |
| **Persistent workspace disk** | A dedicated OS disk that survives start/stop cycles |
| **Mount datasets** | Attach large dataset volumes directly into the VM filesystem |

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## VMs vs Instances — Which Should You Use?

| | Instance (Container) | Virtual Machine |
|---|---|---|
| **Underlying technology** | Linux container (namespace + cgroup) | Full hardware-virtualized VM |
| **Kernel** | Shared host kernel | Dedicated guest kernel |
| **Root access** | Limited | Full root |
| **Custom kernel modules** | Not supported | Supported |
| **Boot time** | Seconds | ~2–3 minutes (full OS boot) |
| **Best for** | ML notebooks, JupyterLab, fast iteration | Custom drivers, HPC, OS customization, stronger isolation |

:::tip When to choose a VM
Choose a VM when you need GPU access with full driver control, need to install custom NVIDIA drivers, run system-level daemons (e.g., a monitoring agent), configure the network stack, or when your team requires a traditional server-like experience with SSH access to a stable IP.
:::

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## Quick Start

Ready to launch your first VM?

[Create a Virtual Machine →](/docs/tir/VirtualMachines/create-vm)

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## Explore

| Guide | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| [Create a VM](/docs/tir/VirtualMachines/create-vm) | Step-by-step guide to launch and connect to a VM |
| [Connect via SSH](/docs/tir/VirtualMachines/vm-connect) | How to SSH into your VM and manage SSH keys |
| [Features](/docs/tir/VirtualMachines/vm-features) | Storage, startup scripts, datasets, monitoring and more |
| [Billing](/docs/tir/VirtualMachines/vm-billing) | Pricing model and cost estimation |


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