How to solve the problem with GitLab Runner needing a large computer (48 CPU) only during the build to avoid paying for it constantly?

To avoid constantly paying for a powerful server with 48 CPUs, which is only needed during builds, you can use dynamic scaling of GitLab Runner with cloud providers. For example, configure GitLab Runner with an executor like Docker Machine or Kubernetes, which will automatically create and delete virtual machines or containers with the necessary resources only during task execution.

An example approach:

• Use the Docker Machine executor, which can create VMs in the cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Specify the minimum and maximum number of instances in the Runner configuration.
• When a build starts, a VM with 48 CPUs is created, and after completion, the VM is deleted.

This way, you only pay for the time the powerful machine is running, not constantly.

If Kubernetes is used, you can set up a cluster with autoscaling, where pods with a large number of CPUs are created and deleted based on load.