* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics") * [Managed cloud](/en/topics/cloud-computing "Managed cloud") * What is a hyperscaler? What is a hyperscaler? ====================== Published December 20, 2022•*3*-minute read Copy URL Jump to section --------------- OverviewWhat is a hyperscaler?How do I choose a vendor?Get the most out of hyperscalers with Red Hat Overview -------- Hyperscalers provide cloud computing and data management services to organizations that require vast infrastructure for large-scale data processing and storage. While there is no universal standard for what should be classified as a hyperscaler, major cloud providers such as [Amazon Web Services](/en/partners/aws), [Google Cloud](/en/partners/google/red-hat-on-google-cloud-marketplace "partners|Simplify your journey to the cloud"), [Microsoft Azure](/en/partners/microsoft/red-hat-on-azure), IBM Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud fit the description. What is a hyperscaler? ---------------------- Hyperscalers get their name from hyperscale computing, a method of processing data that allows for software architecture to scale and grow as increased demand is added to the system. Enterprise applications and data demand flexible environments that offer a reliable way to develop and deploy technologies such as [artificial intelligence](/en/products/ai), [internet of things (IoT)](/en/topics/internet-of-things/what-is-iot), [machine learning](/en/topics/ai/what-is-machine-learning), and big data analytics. Hyperscalers are able to support these services on a grand scale, using multiple datacenters around the world, with thousands of physical servers running millions of virtual machines.  By providing access to a ready-made, scalable infrastructure, hyperscalers allow their clients the ability to experiment, build, innovate, and run any type of application, from a social network to a smart city to online banking, all while managing costs and working with agility. In addition, outsourcing infrastructure management frees developers to focus on building applications and gives operations teams more time to focus on innovation rather than maintenance. In order for an app dev platform to successfully serve its user, it must provide continuous and secure development and deployment capabilities. The tools that may be utilized as part of the developers kit can include front-end tools for UI/UX creation, back-end tools for data services, or both. Red Hat resources ----------------- [Keep reading](/en/resources "Keep reading") How do I choose a vendor? ------------------------- If you’re just starting out on your [digital transformation](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift) journey, figuring out the best path forward can be daunting. Lack of in-house resources, time, or expertise make it challenging to build effective cloud architectures from scratch, and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. In fact, many of the world’s largest enterprises use hyperscalers, and often choose more than one hyperscaler to partner with based on their individual business needs. Using more than one cloud provider is known as a [multicloud approach](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-multicloud). Unifying different clouds as a single platform supports a [hybrid cloud strategy](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-hybrid-cloud)–in which applications work consistently across different environments, allowing for a single computing platform to span multiple clouds.  When it comes to deciding who to partner with, cloud [committed spend](https://www.redhat.com/architect/committed-cloud-spend) is something to keep in mind. "Cloud committed spend" refers to an agreement between a provider and a customer to provide a discount on cost in exchange for the customer agreeing to spend a certain amount of money within a (typically) specified period of time. Basically, it’s a bulk discount offer: the more you buy, the bigger the savings.  Cloud providers have hundreds of partners with software and services, available in cloud marketplaces, that can be purchased using [committed spend](/en/topics/cloud-computing/committed-spend). For example, if you have cloud committed spend with Amazon Web Services ([AWS](/en/partners/aws/red-hat-on-aws)) or [Microsoft Azure](/en/partners/microsoft/red-hat-on-azure), you can use it to pay for [Red Hat](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift)[®](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux) [OpenShift®](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift), [Red Hat Enterprise Linux®](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux), and [Red Hat Ansible® Automation Platform](/en/technologies/management/ansible). [Invest your cloud committed spend on Red Hat solutions](/en/resources/invest-your-aws-committed-spend-overview "resources | Invest your AWS committed spend on Red Hat solutions - HTML") Get the most out of hyperscalers with Red Hat --------------------------------------------- **Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform** Ansible Automation Platform provides an enterprise framework for building and operating IT automation at scale. It addresses key automation use cases—including network, security, and cloud automation—and helps teams create, manage, and share automation across the enterprise. Several Ansible Automation Platform deployment options—both managed and self-managed— are available for use with major cloud providers. Public cloud deployment options include: * [Ansible Automation Platform on Microsoft Azure](/en/technologies/management/ansible/azure) (managed and self-managed) * [Ansible Automation Platform on Microsoft Azure Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/management/ansible/azure) (self-managed) * [Ansible Automation Platform from AWS Marketplace](/en/technologies/management/ansible/aws) (self-managed) * [Ansible Automation Platform available from Google Cloud Marketplace](/en/technologies/management/ansible/google-cloud) (self-managed) [Learn more about Ansible Automation Platform deployment options](/en/technologies/management/ansible/ansible-deployment-options) **Red Hat Enterprise Linux** [Red Hat Enterprise Linux](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux) is certified for use with [all major cloud service providers](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/cloud), including [Microsoft Azure](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux-azure), [AWS](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/rhel-for-aws), [Google Cloud](/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linux/google-cloud), IBM Cloud, and Alibaba Cloud, as well as on hundreds of other public cloud and service providers, and thousands of other types of software and hardware. Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides a stable foundation for your cloud environments by offering consistency across infrastructure. This means you can deploy applications, workloads, and services with agility and streamline management across environments using the same set of tools. **Red Hat OpenShift** [Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/aws) is a fully managed application platform that allows you to focus on delivering value to your customers by building and deploying applications. Red Hat and AWS Site reliability engineering (SRE) experts manage the underlying platform so you don’t have to worry about the complexity of infrastructure management. Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS provides seamless integration with a wide range of AWS compute, database, analytics, machine learning, networking, mobile, and other services to further accelerate the building and delivering of differentiating experiences to your customers. [Get started with Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS](https://cloud.redhat.com/learn/getting-started-red-hat-openshift-service-aws-rosa#page-title) [Microsoft Azure Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/azure) is an application platform that provides highly available, fully managed Red Hat OpenShift clusters on demand. Red Hat and Microsoft jointly engineer, manage, and support the platform, allowing organizations to increase operational efficiency, refocus on innovation, and quickly build, deploy, and scale applications. Resource Red Hat a Leader in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cloud-Native Application Platforms ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cloud-Native Application Platforms report to learn about a “Leader” in security-focused cloud service solutions. [Read the report](/en/engage/gartner-magic-quadrant-cloud-application-platforms-analyst-report "Red Hat a Leader in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Cloud-Native Application Platforms") All Red Hat product trials -------------------------- Our no-cost product trials help you gain hands-on experience, prepare for a certification, or assess if a product is right for your organization. [Keep reading](/en/products/trials "All Red Hat product trials") Keep reading ------------ ### What is PaaS? Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) is a form of cloud computing where the hardware and software platform is provided by a third party. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-paas "article | What is PaaS?") ### What is IaaS? Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is a form of cloud computing in which infrastructure services are provided to the user through a cloud. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-iaas "article | What is IaaS?") ### IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS “As-a-service” generally means a cloud computing service that is provided by a third party. [Read the article](/en/topics/cloud-computing/iaas-vs-paas-vs-saas "article | IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS") Managed cloud resources ----------------------- ### Related content * E-book [Modernize your IT with cloud services](/en/resources/modernize-it-with-cloud-services-ebook) * Success story [Maintaining uninterrupted customer services across clouds](/en/success-stories/logicalis-spain-pinero) * Success story [Modernizing core banking systems at scale](/en/success-stories/capgemini-financial-services) * Case study [Holcim boosts efficiency by 40% with Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS](/en/resources/holcim-digital-center-case-study) ### Related articles * [IaaS vs. PaaS vs. SaaS](/en/topics/cloud-computing/iaas-vs-paas-vs-saas) * [What is PaaS?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-paas) * [What is IaaS?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-iaas) * [What is CaaS?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-caas) * [Why run Linux on IBM Cloud](/en/topics/linux/linux-on-ibm-cloud) * [What is committed spend?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/committed-spend) * [What is a cloud marketplace?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-a-cloud-marketplace) * [What are cloud service providers?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-are-cloud-providers) * [What are cloud services?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-are-cloud-services) * [What is FaaS?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/what-is-faas) [More about this topic](/en/topics/cloud-computing "More about this topic")