Sustained Use Discount

I. Formal Definition

A pricing mechanism, prominent on Google Cloud, that automatically reduces the effective unit rate as a workload runs for a larger fraction of the billing period. Sustained use discounts reward steady-state workloads without requiring an explicit commitment. The federation requires sustained use discount realisation to be reported per workload monthly, with discount-eligible workloads identified as candidates for further commitment-based optimisation under UFMS-001:2.4(d). Sustained use is reconciled to the cloud bill at month end.

II. Etymology

A Google Cloud Platform pricing innovation introduced in 2014; the term entered the cross-provider FinOps vocabulary thereafter.

III. Federation Usage

Federation members on Google Cloud report sustained use discount realisation monthly. Eligible workloads are evaluated for further commitment under MEV-Annex:3.2. The realisation gap between observed sustained use and committed use discount is tracked at procurement consolidation.

IV. Related Terms

• committed-use-discount
• savings-plan
• reserved-instance
• commitment-utilization

V. Authoritative Citations

• UFMS-001:2.4UFMS Article II - Sustained Use
• MEV-Annex:3.2MEV Annex III - Sustained Use Reporting

VI. Citation in BibTeX

@misc{ifo4_glossary_sustained_use_discount,
  title        = {{Sustained Use Discount}},
  author       = {{IFO4 Federation Editorial Board}},
  howpublished = {{IFO4 Federation Glossary, slug \texttt{sustained-use-discount}}},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://ifo4.org/glossary/sustained-use-discount},
  note         = {Category: FinOps; key: SustainedUseDiscount}
}

VII. Challenge This Definition

Federation members and accredited practitioners may challenge any entry under TGS-002:1.7. Filed challenges are routed to the editorial board, triaged into the revision register, and resolved in writing on the public docket. The slug remains stable through any revision.