diff --git a/action.sh b/action.sh
index c1911f7..8b46b20 100755
--- a/action.sh
+++ b/action.sh
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ function gcloud_auth {
 
 function start_vm {
   echo "Starting GCE VM ..."
+
   if [[ -z "${service_account_key}" ]] || [[ -z "${project_id}" ]]; then
     echo "Won't authenticate gcloud. If you wish to authenticate gcloud provide both service_account_key and project_id."
   else
@@ -187,48 +188,49 @@ function start_vm {
   no_external_address_flag=$([[ "${no_external_address}" == "true" ]] && echo "--no-address" || echo "")
   network_flag=$([[ ! -z "${network}"  ]] && echo "--network=${network}" || echo "")
   subnet_flag=$([[ ! -z "${subnet}"  ]] && echo "--subnet=${subnet}" || echo "")
+  accel_only=$(echo ${accelerator} | awk -F'[=,]' '{print $2}')
   accelerator=$([[ ! -z "${accelerator}"  ]] && echo "--accelerator=${accelerator} --maintenance-policy=TERMINATE" || echo "")
   maintenance_policy_flag=$([[ -z "${maintenance_policy_terminate}"  ]] || echo "--maintenance-policy=TERMINATE" )
 
   echo "The new GCE VM will be ${VM_ID}"
 
   startup_script="
-	# Create a systemd service in charge of shutting down the machine once the workflow has finished
-	cat <<-EOF > /etc/systemd/system/shutdown.sh
-	#!/bin/sh
-	sleep ${shutdown_timeout}
-	gcloud compute instances delete $VM_ID --zone=$machine_zone --quiet
-	EOF
+  # Create a systemd service in charge of shutting down the machine once the workflow has finished
+  cat <<-EOS > /etc/systemd/system/shutdown.sh
+  #!/bin/sh
+  sleep ${shutdown_timeout}
+  gcloud compute instances delete $VM_ID --zone=$machine_zone --quiet
+  EOS
 
-	cat <<-EOF > /etc/systemd/system/shutdown.service
-	[Unit]
-	Description=Shutdown service
-	[Service]
-	ExecStart=/etc/systemd/system/shutdown.sh
-	[Install]
-	WantedBy=multi-user.target
-	EOF
+  cat <<-EOSD > /etc/systemd/system/shutdown.service
+  [Unit]
+  Description=Shutdown service
+  [Service]
+  ExecStart=/etc/systemd/system/shutdown.sh
+  [Install]
+  WantedBy=multi-user.target
+  EOSD
 
-	chmod +x /etc/systemd/system/shutdown.sh
-	systemctl daemon-reload
-	systemctl enable shutdown.service
+  chmod +x /etc/systemd/system/shutdown.sh
+  systemctl daemon-reload
+  systemctl enable shutdown.service
 
-	cat <<-EOF > /usr/bin/gce_runner_shutdown.sh
-	#!/bin/sh
-	echo \"✅ Self deleting $VM_ID in ${machine_zone} in ${shutdown_timeout} seconds ...\"
-	# We tear down the machine by starting the systemd service that was registered by the startup script
-	systemctl start shutdown.service
-	EOF
+  cat <<-EOSDR > /usr/bin/gce_runner_shutdown.sh
+  #!/bin/sh
+  echo \"✅ Self deleting $VM_ID in ${machine_zone} in ${shutdown_timeout} seconds ...\"
+  # We tear down the machine by starting the systemd service that was registered by the startup script
+  systemctl start shutdown.service
+  EOSDR
 
-	# See: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/hosting-your-own-runners/managing-self-hosted-runners/running-scripts-before-or-after-a-job
-	echo "ACTIONS_RUNNER_HOOK_JOB_COMPLETED=/usr/bin/gce_runner_shutdown.sh" >.env
-	gcloud compute instances add-labels ${VM_ID} --zone=${machine_zone} --labels=gh_ready=0 && \\
-	RUNNER_ALLOW_RUNASROOT=1 ./config.sh --url https://github.com/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY} --token ${RUNNER_TOKEN} --labels ${VM_ID} --unattended ${ephemeral_flag} --disableupdate && \\
-	./svc.sh install && \\
-	./svc.sh start && \\
-	gcloud compute instances add-labels ${VM_ID} --zone=${machine_zone} --labels=gh_ready=1
-	# 3 days represents the max workflow runtime. This will shutdown the instance if everything else fails.
-	nohup sh -c \"sleep 3d && gcloud --quiet compute instances delete ${VM_ID} --zone=${machine_zone}\" > /dev/null &
+  # See: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/hosting-your-own-runners/managing-self-hosted-runners/running-scripts-before-or-after-a-job
+  echo "ACTIONS_RUNNER_HOOK_JOB_COMPLETED=/usr/bin/gce_runner_shutdown.sh" >.env
+  gcloud compute instances add-labels ${VM_ID} --zone=${machine_zone} --labels=gh_ready=0 && \\
+  RUNNER_ALLOW_RUNASROOT=1 ./config.sh --url https://github.com/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY} --token ${RUNNER_TOKEN} --labels ${VM_ID} --unattended ${ephemeral_flag} --disableupdate && \\
+  ./svc.sh install && \\
+  ./svc.sh start && \\
+  gcloud compute instances add-labels ${VM_ID} --zone=${machine_zone} --labels=gh_ready=1
+  # 3 days represents the max workflow runtime. This will shutdown the instance if everything else fails.
+  nohup sh -c \"sleep 3d && gcloud --quiet compute instances delete ${VM_ID} --zone=${machine_zone}\" > /dev/null &
   "
 
   if $actions_preinstalled ; then
@@ -256,11 +258,12 @@ function start_vm {
       ./bin/installdependencies.sh && \\
       $startup_script"
     else
-      startup_script="#!/bin/bash
+      startup_script="#! /bin/bash
       mkdir /actions-runner
       cd /actions-runner
-      curl -o actions-runner-linux-x64-${runner_ver}.tar.gz -L https://github.com/actions/runner/releases/download/v${runner_ver}/actions-runner-linux-x64-${runner_ver}.tar.gz
+      curl -o actions-runner-linux-x64-${runner_ver}.tar.gz -sS -L https://github.com/actions/runner/releases/download/v${runner_ver}/actions-runner-linux-x64-${runner_ver}.tar.gz
       tar xzf ./actions-runner-linux-x64-${runner_ver}.tar.gz
+      export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive 
       ./bin/installdependencies.sh && \\
       $startup_script"
     fi
@@ -291,39 +294,62 @@ function start_vm {
   gh_repo="$(truncate_to_label "${GITHUB_REPOSITORY##*/}")"
   gh_run_id="${GITHUB_RUN_ID}"
 
-  gcloud compute instances create ${VM_ID} \
-    --zone=${machine_zone} \
-    ${disk_size_flag} \
-    ${boot_disk_type_flag} \
-    --machine-type=${machine_type} \
-    --scopes=${scopes} \
-    ${service_account_flag} \
-    ${image_project_flag} \
-    ${image_flag} \
-    ${image_family_flag} \
-    ${preemptible_flag} \
-    ${no_external_address_flag} \
-    ${network_flag} \
-    ${subnet_flag} \
-    ${accelerator} \
-    ${maintenance_policy_flag} \
-    --labels=gh_ready=0,gh_repo_owner="${gh_repo_owner}",gh_repo="${gh_repo}",gh_run_id="${gh_run_id}" \
-    --metadata=startup-script="$startup_script" \
-    && echo "label=${VM_ID}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
+  function create_vm {
+    echo "🔄 Attempting to create VM in zone: ${machine_zone}"
+    gcloud compute instances create ${VM_ID} \
+      --zone=${machine_zone} \
+      ${disk_size_flag} \
+      ${boot_disk_type_flag} \
+      --machine-type=${machine_type} \
+      --scopes=${scopes} \
+      ${service_account_flag} \
+      ${image_project_flag} \
+      ${image_flag} \
+      ${image_family_flag} \
+      ${preemptible_flag} \
+      ${no_external_address_flag} \
+      ${network_flag} \
+      ${subnet_flag} \
+      ${accelerator} \
+      ${maintenance_policy_flag} \
+      --labels=gh_ready=0,gh_repo_owner="${gh_repo_owner}",gh_repo="${gh_repo}",gh_run_id="${gh_run_id}" \
+      --metadata=startup-script="$startup_script"
+  }
   safety_off
-  while (( i++ < 60 )); do
+  if [[ -z "${accelerator}" ]]; then
+    create_vm
+  else
+    zones=$(gcloud compute accelerator-types list --verbosity=error --filter="name=${accel_only} AND zone:us-*" --format="value(zone)" | shuf)
+    for zone in $zones; do
+      machine_zone=$zone
+      create_vm
+      [[ $? -eq 0 ]] && break
+    done    
+  fi
+
+  if [[ $? -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo "❌ Failed to create GCE VM"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  echo "✅ Successfully created GCE VM in zone: ${machine_zone}"
+  echo "label=${VM_ID}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+  
+  count=120
+  interval=10
+  seconds=$(( $count * $interval ))
+  minutes=$(( $seconds / 60 ))
+  while (( i++ < $count )); do
     GH_READY=$(gcloud compute instances describe ${VM_ID} --zone=${machine_zone} --format='json(labels)' | jq -r .labels.gh_ready)
     if [[ $GH_READY == 1 ]]; then
+      elapsed=$(($i * $interval))
+      echo "✅ ${VM_ID} ready after ${elapsed} seconds"
       break
     fi
-    echo "${VM_ID} not ready yet, waiting 5 secs ..."
-    sleep 5
+    echo "${VM_ID} not ready yet, waiting $interval secs ..."
+    sleep $interval
   done
-  if [[ $GH_READY == 1 ]]; then
-    echo "✅ ${VM_ID} ready ..."
-  else
-    echo "Waited 5 minutes for ${VM_ID}, without luck, deleting ${VM_ID} ..."
+  if [[ $GH_READY != 1 ]]; then
+    echo "Waited $minutes minutes for ${VM_ID}, without luck, deleting ${VM_ID} ..."
     gcloud --quiet compute instances delete ${VM_ID} --zone=${machine_zone}
     exit 1
   fi