GoKawiilOracle cut its Always Free ARM limits to 2 OCPU / 12GB, enforced Aug 18, 2026. Resize or consolidate your free instances before they're terminated.
If you’re running any Ampere A1 ARM instance larger than 2 OCPUs or 12 GB of RAM — or more than one of them — you need to act before August 18, 2026, or Oracle will terminate the excess automatically. Your two free x86 instances are untouched.
You probably got the email this week. Oracle is quietly cutting its “Always Free” ARM allowance in half, and the deadline is real.
“Beginning on August 18, 2026, Oracle will begin enforcing the updated Always Free compute limits. Compute instances that exceed the Always Free entitlement will be automatically terminated.” “Current Always Free compute limits: Up to 2 Ampere A1 OCPUs. Up to 12 GB of memory.”
Here’s what changed, what it means for your tenancy, and the exact move to make depending on what you’re running today.
What actually changed#
The ARM side of Always Free used to be generous: 4 OCPUs and 24 GB of RAM, usable as one large instance or split into two. As of August 18, 2026, it’s exactly half.
Resource Old limit New limit (enforced Aug 18, 2026) ARM (Ampere A1) OCPU Up to 4 OCPUs Up to 2 OCPUs ARM memory Up to 24 GB Up to 12 GB x86 micro instances 2 × 1 OCPU / 1 GB 2 × 1 OCPU / 1 GB (unchanged) Other Always Free services Available Remain available
One thing that trips people up: the ARM limit is a tenancy-wide pool, not per instance. You get 2 OCPUs and 12 GB total to divide however you like — one 2/12 instance, or two 1/6 instances — but the sum can’t go over. And it’s separate from the two always-free x86 instances, which keep their own allowance.
Why this is happening#
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