Installation (Nebius)

Saturn Cloud Enterprise on Nebius provides a fully managed AI platform on Nebius GPU infrastructure. It enables teams to train large language models, run advanced AI research, and deploy enterprise-scale ML workloads.

Key Features

• Access to NVIDIA H100, H200, and GB200 GPUs with up to 141GB HBM3e memory per GPU.
• Elastic Kubernetes scaling, integrated storage, and enterprise security.
• Support for large-scale model training including 70B+ parameter models.

Architecture Overview at a Glance

In a typical installation, we deploy into your Nebius Managed Kubernetes (MK8S) cluster in your Nebius project, integrate it with your existing VPC and subnet, and configure CPU and GPU node pools optimized for data science workloads. Saturn Cloud is hosted publicly with secure authentication by default, with private networking options available if required.

This standard installation creates a ready-to-use platform for machine learning and AI workloads with GPU acceleration. Beyond the default setup, Saturn Cloud can customize node pool sizes, GPU configurations, and network settings to meet your organization’s needs.

The infrastructure includes:

Core Components

• MK8S Cluster: A managed Kubernetes cluster with version 1.30 and integrated container registry access
• VPC Network: Integration with Nebius VPC and subnet infrastructure for network isolation
• Node Pools: Auto-scaling node groups optimized for different workload types, including GPU-accelerated nodes
• Storage: Integration with Nebius storage services for persistent data storage
• Container Registry: Secure access to Nebius Container Registry (NCR) for container images

Network Architecture

Saturn Cloud integrates with your existing Nebius VPC infrastructure:

1. Network Integration

Network integration ensures that Saturn Cloud is deployed seamlessly within your existing Nebius VPC and subnet configuration.

• Existing VPC: Utilizes your pre-configured Nebius VPC and subnet
• Subnet Integration: Deployed within your specified subnet ID for controlled network placement
• Public Endpoints: Cluster control plane accessible via public endpoints with secure authentication
• Regional Deployment: Supports deployment in Nebius regions (eu-north1 primary)

2. Network Security

The Nebius deployment ensures:

• Integration with existing VPC security controls
• Controlled access through IAM and service accounts
• Secure container registry access via group memberships
• Kubernetes-native network policies for workload isolation

Node Pool Architecture

The installation creates specialized node pools optimized for AI and data science workloads.

1. System Node Pool

The system node pool is dedicated to running Saturn Cloud’s control plane and core system services.

• Purpose: Runs Saturn Cloud control plane and system services
• Platform: cpu-d3 (latest generation CPU platform)
• Preset: 4vcpu-16gb (4 vCPUs, 16GB RAM)
• Scaling: 2-100 nodes
• Disk: 93GB Network SSD (non-replicated)

2. CPU Node Pools

Saturn Cloud provisions multiple CPU-optimized node pools for various computational requirements:

Large Instances (nebius-large)

• Platform: cpu-d3
• Preset: 4vcpu-16gb (4 vCPUs, 16GB RAM)
• Use Case: General purpose workloads, development environments
• Auto-scaling: 0-100 nodes

2XLarge Instances (nebius-2xlarge)

• Platform: cpu-d3
• Preset: 16vcpu-64gb (16 vCPUs, 64GB RAM)
• Use Case: Memory-intensive analytics, data processing
• Auto-scaling: 0-100 nodes

4XLarge Instances (nebius-4xlarge)

• Platform: cpu-d3
• Preset: 64vcpu-256gb (64 vCPUs, 256GB RAM)
• Use Case: Large-scale computational workloads, big data processing
• Auto-scaling: 0-100 nodes

3. GPU Node Pools

Saturn Cloud provides access to Nebius AI Infrastructure’s GPU fleet, including NVIDIA H100, H200, and GB200. The standard configuration showcases H200 SXM configurations, though other GPU types available in Nebius’s infrastructure can be provisioned as needed.

Single H200 GPU (1xh200)

• Platform: gpu-h200-sxm
• Preset: 1gpu-16vcpu-200gb (1x H200 GPU, 16 vCPUs, 200GB RAM)
• GPU Memory: 141GB HBM3e per GPU
• Use Case: Model inference, development, single-GPU training
• Auto-scaling: 0-100 nodes

8x H200 GPU (8xh200)

• Platform: gpu-h200-sxm
• Preset: 8gpu-128vcpu-1600gb (8x H200 GPUs, 128 vCPUs, 1600GB RAM)
• GPU Memory: 1.128TB total HBM3e (8x 141GB)
• Use Case: Large-scale model training, distributed deep learning, LLM training
• Auto-scaling: 0-100 nodes

Security Features

Saturn Cloud on Nebius is deployed with multiple security controls to protect access, data, and workloads:

• Service Account Authentication: Dedicated service accounts for secure cluster and registry access
• IAM Group Integration: Automated membership management for container registry permissions
• Workload Identity: Kubernetes-native service account to IAM mapping
• Network Policies: Fine-grained network segmentation within the cluster
• Encrypted Storage: Network SSD with built-in encryption
• Secure Endpoints: TLS-encrypted control plane and API access

Storage and Data Access

Saturn Cloud leverages Nebius storage and registry services to ensure reliable data access and high availability:

• Network SSD: High-performance, non-replicated storage for boot disks
• Persistent Volumes: Dynamic provisioning through CSI drivers
• Container Registry: Integrated access to Nebius Container Registry
• Multi-Zone: Support for multi-zone deployments for high availability

Monitoring and Operations

Operational features in Saturn Cloud automate scaling, resource allocation, and system health management:

• Cluster Autoscaling: Automatic node provisioning based on workload demands
• GPU Scheduling: Automatic GPU resource allocation and scheduling
• Health Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of node and cluster health
• Automatic Updates: Managed Kubernetes updates and security patches

Installation Process

Saturn Cloud Enterprise for Nebius can be deployed using two approaches:

Option 1: Fully Managed Installation (Recommended)

The Saturn Cloud support team handles the complete installation process.

Prerequisites:

1. Nebius Project Setup: Ensure you have a Nebius project with appropriate permissions
2. Network Configuration: Have your VPC and subnet configured and note the subnet ID
3. IAM Groups: Identify your viewers group ID for container registry access

Installation Steps:

1. Prepare Service Account Credentials: Set up Nebius service account with required environment variables:

   export NB_AUTHKEY_PRIVATE_PATH="/path/to/private/key"
   export NB_AUTHKEY_PUBLIC_ID="your-public-key-id"
   export NB_SA_ID="your-service-account-id"
   

2. Configure Installation Parameters: Provide the following information to Saturn Cloud support:

   # Your Nebius project ID
   project_id = "project-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
   
   # The subnet ID where the cluster will be deployed
   subnet_id = "vpcsubnet-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
   
   # The ID of the viewers group for container registry access
   viewers_group_id = "group-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
   
   # Name for your Kubernetes cluster
   cluster_name = "my-saturn-cluster"
   

3. Grant Installation Access: Provide Saturn Cloud support with the necessary service account permissions

4. Installation Deployment: The support team will handle the infrastructure deployment using Terraform

5. Access Your Installation: Receive your Saturn Cloud URL and admin credentials

Option 2: Self-Service Installation

For customers who prefer to provision infrastructure themselves, Saturn Cloud provides Terraform templates and deployment automation.

Prerequisites:

1. Nebius Project Setup: Nebius project with appropriate permissions
2. Network Configuration: VPC and subnet configured
3. IAM Groups: Viewers group ID for container registry access
4. Terraform: Terraform installed locally (version 1.0+)
5. kubectl: kubectl CLI configured

Installation Steps:

1. Register Your Tenancy

Register your organization with Saturn Cloud to receive provisioning credentials:

curl -X POST https://manager.saturnenterprise.io/api/v2/customers/register \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "name": "your-organization-name",
      "email": "your-email@example.com",
      "cloud": "nebius"
    }'

2. Activate Your Account

You will receive an activation email with a token. Activate your account using:

curl -X POST https://manager.saturnenterprise.io/v2/activate \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{"token": "YOUR_ACTIVATION_TOKEN"}'

Alternatively, use the activation link provided in the email:

https://manager.saturnenterprise.io/v2/activate?token=YOUR_ACTIVATION_TOKEN

After activation, you will receive a terraform.tfvars file containing a 4-hour bootstrap API token and configuration values.

curl -X POST https://manager.saturnenterprise.io/v2/resend-setup \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d '{
      "name": "your-organization-name",
      "email": "your-email@example.com"
    }'

3. Clone Reference Terraform

Saturn Cloud provides region-specific reference Terraform templates. These templates represent standard configurations and can be customized to meet your specific requirements.

For eu-north1 (Finland):

git clone https://github.com/saturncloud/saturncloud-reference-terraform.git
cd saturncloud-reference-terraform/nebius/eu-north1

For us-central1:

git clone https://github.com/saturncloud/saturncloud-reference-terraform.git
cd saturncloud-reference-terraform/nebius/us-central1

4. Configure Terraform Variables

Copy the terraform.tfvars file received from Saturn Cloud into the terraform directory, or create one with your configuration:

# Your Nebius project ID
project_id = "project-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

# The subnet ID where the cluster will be deployed
subnet_id = "vpcsubnet-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

# The ID of the viewers group for container registry access
viewers_group_id = "group-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

# Name for your Kubernetes cluster
cluster_name = "my-saturn-cluster"

# Bootstrap token from Saturn Cloud (4-hour validity)
saturn_bootstrap_token = "your-bootstrap-token-here"

5. Deploy Infrastructure

Initialize and apply the Terraform configuration:

# Initialize Terraform
terraform init

# Review the planned changes
terraform plan

# Apply the configuration
terraform apply

This provisions:

• Nebius Managed Kubernetes (MK8S) cluster
• CPU and GPU node pools
• Network integration with your VPC
• IAM service accounts and permissions
• Storage configurations

6. Verify Installation

The Terraform configuration automatically installs the Saturn Cloud Helm chart as part of the deployment process. After terraform apply completes, verify the installation:

# Configure kubectl with the new cluster
export KUBECONFIG=./kubeconfig

# Verify cluster access
kubectl get nodes

# Check all pods are running
kubectl get pods -A

The Terraform automation handles:

• MK8S cluster provisioning
• Node pool creation (CPU and GPU)
• Helm chart deployment
• Saturn Cloud service configuration

Note: GPU nodes will not be visible initially as they scale from 0 and are provisioned on-demand when users create GPU workloads.

7. Access Your Installation

Once deployment completes, you will receive:

• Saturn Cloud URL
• Admin credentials
• Configuration details

The installation typically completes in 15-30 minutes.

Ongoing Management

Saturn Cloud Enterprise on Nebius is fully managed, meaning:

• Automatic Kubernetes updates and security patches
• 24/7 monitoring and support for both CPU and GPU workloads
• Performance optimization for AI/ML workloads
• NVIDIA driver updates and GPU health monitoring
• Backup and disaster recovery
• Scaling optimization based on workload patterns

Cost Optimization

The Nebius infrastructure uses several cost optimization strategies:

• Auto-scaling to Zero: All node pools except system nodes can scale to zero when unused
• Efficient Resource Allocation: Right-sized presets for different workload types
• GPU Optimization: Automatic GPU scheduling prevents resource waste
• Network SSD: Cost-effective storage with high performance
• Resource Tagging: Detailed cost allocation through Kubernetes labels
• Idle Detection: Automatic shutdown of unused GPU resources

Performance Characteristics

Saturn Cloud on Nebius provides:

• GPU Options - H100, H200, and GB200 GPUs with high memory capacity
• High-Speed Networking - Optimized for multi-GPU and distributed training
• CPU-D3 Platform - Latest generation CPU architecture
• Memory-Optimized Configurations - Large memory allocations for big data workloads
• Container Registry Integration - Fast image pulls for rapid scaling