Cloud cost
RI/SP coverage and utilization
Coverage is the share of eligible usage that a commitment discounts. Utilization is the share of the commitment you bought that you actually use.
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Definition
Coverage asks how much of your eligible usage runs at a discount. Low coverage means you pay on-demand rates for usage that a commitment could have discounted. Utilization asks the opposite: how much of the commitment you bought do you use? Low utilization means you paid for capacity that sits unused.
Review the two numbers together on a fixed schedule. They point to opposite fixes. Low coverage means buy more commitment. Low utilization means you already bought too much, or the wrong shape, for your current footprint.
Where it shows up
Both figures appear as their own reports in AWS Cost Explorer. The RI/SP Coverage report shows the share of eligible usage that runs at a discounted rate. A separate Utilization report shows the share of purchased commitment that was used. You can filter both by account and by reporting period.
What makes it expensive
Read one of these reports without the other and you can act in the wrong direction. Low coverage says buy more commitment. Low utilization says you already bought too much, or the wrong shape. Neither number means much alone. Put them on the same page and the same schedule.
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