diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-backend-container-on-tag.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-backend-container-on-tag.yml
index 31859dcb1f1..3aa7151530d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-backend-container-on-tag.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-backend-container-on-tag.yml
@@ -10,9 +10,9 @@ env:
 
 jobs:
   build-and-push:
-    # TODO: make this a matrix build like the web containers
-    runs-on: 
-      group: amd64-image-builders
+    # TODO: investigate a matrix build like the web container 
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=8cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
 
     steps:
     - name: Checkout code
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-model-server-container-on-tag.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-model-server-container-on-tag.yml
index 134b77d43c2..494c540614f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-model-server-container-on-tag.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-build-push-model-server-container-on-tag.yml
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   build-and-push:
-    runs-on: 
-      group: amd64-image-builders
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=8cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
 
     steps:
     - name: Checkout code
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-tag-latest.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-tag-latest.yml
index c0853ff3835..c33c0e59e9a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-tag-latest.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-tag-latest.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   tag:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    # use a lower powered instance since this just does i/o to docker hub
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=2cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
     steps:
     - name: Set up Docker Buildx
       uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-helm-chart-testing.yml.disabled.txt b/.github/workflows/pr-helm-chart-testing.yml.disabled.txt
index d2d7c7d5b13..eeb1715b1c2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-helm-chart-testing.yml.disabled.txt
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-helm-chart-testing.yml.disabled.txt
@@ -12,7 +12,8 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   lint-test:
-    runs-on: Amd64
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=8cpu-linux-x64,hdd=256,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
 
     # fetch-depth 0 is required for helm/chart-testing-action
     steps:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-python-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-python-checks.yml
index e33bad59ef2..0af0603667e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-python-checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-python-checks.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   mypy-check:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=8cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
 
     steps:
     - name: Checkout code
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-python-connector-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-python-connector-tests.yml
index d0c693dd19d..e5dd79c016d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-python-connector-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-python-connector-tests.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ env:
 
 jobs:
   connectors-check:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=8cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
 
     env:
       PYTHONPATH: ./backend
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-python-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-python-tests.yml
index 30d1d3ad2f9..2a318ebbbf4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-python-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-python-tests.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   backend-check:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=8cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
 
     env:
       PYTHONPATH: ./backend
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-quality-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-quality-checks.yml
index 8a42541ea5d..9479d61b81a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-quality-checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-quality-checks.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   quality-checks:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=8cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run-it.yml b/.github/workflows/run-it.yml
index b1a55bfffcc..fc716cbd481 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run-it.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run-it.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ env:
 
 jobs:
   integration-tests:
-    runs-on: Amd64
+    # See https://runs-on.com/runners/linux/
+    runs-on: [runs-on,runner=8cpu-linux-x64,"run-id=${{ github.run_id }}"]
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4