An approach for allocating resources to an apparatus based on preemptable resource requirements generally involves a resource allocator determining that a resource that satisfies a resource requirement for one apparatus is not available but that another resource that currently satisfies another resource requirement for another apparatus does satisfy the resource requirement. The resource allocator determines that the other resource requirement for the other apparatus is characterized in that resources that currently satisfy the other resource requirement may be de-allocated from the other apparatus, such as a preemptable resource requirement. The resource allocator de-allocates the resource from the other apparatus and allocates the resource to the one apparatus. A preemptable resource requirement can be based on a suspendable resource requirement or a set of alternative resource requirements.