In a centralized Radio Access Network (RAN), the signals from multiple Radio Access Points (RAPs) are processed centrally in a data center. Centralized RAN enables advanced interference coordination strategies while leveraging the elastic provisioning of data processing resources. It is particularly well suited for dense deployments, such as within a large building where the RAPs are connected via fiber and many cells are underutilized. This paper considers the computational requirements of centralized RAN with the goal of illuminating the benefits of pooling computational resources.