Virtual machines can be pre-created in a grid environment. Pre-created machines can be of a tiny configuration to avoid consuming resources. A request for a virtual machine in the grid can be granted by ballooning a pre-created tiny virtual machine to a larger configuration. The tiny pre-created virtual machine can be advertised as being of a non-tiny configuration. Agents can work in concert to coordinate handing requests for a virtual machine in the grid. The virtual machine can be initialized before it is reduced to a tiny configuration. Ballooning the virtual machine can take considerably less time than creating it from scratch. Thus, high performance computing can be provided on virtual machines in a grid environment, enabling virtual machine technology to be applied in a wide variety of grid-based scenarios.