Modal

Serverless GPU compute platform for AI model training, inference, and data pipelines

Databricks (Mosaic AI)

Unified data and AI lakehouse platform for enterprise-scale machine learning

Modal

Caution

9/25

Databricks (Mosaic AI)

Excellent

22/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionModalDatabricks (Mosaic AI)

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Modal: US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.

Databricks (Mosaic AI): Data resides entirely within the customer's own cloud account across all major global regions; VPC injection ensures no shared infrastructure

1/5

US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.

5/5

Data resides entirely within the customer's own cloud account across all major global regions; VPC injection ensures no shared infrastructure

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Modal: Delaware incorporation, US jurisdiction, CLOUD Act applies. Basic GDPR privacy documentation. No EU subsidiary.

Databricks (Mosaic AI): US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; SCCs and DPAs available for EU/UK transfers

2/5

Delaware incorporation, US jurisdiction, CLOUD Act applies. Basic GDPR privacy documentation. No EU subsidiary.

2/5

US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; SCCs and DPAs available for EU/UK transfers

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Modal: Customer compute workloads are isolated and not used for shared training. Workload outputs are customer-controlled. Data governance documentation is lighter than enterprise-focused providers.

Databricks (Mosaic AI): Customer controls all data retention; Databricks has no access to data stored in customer cloud accounts

3/5

Customer compute workloads are isolated and not used for shared training. Workload outputs are customer-controlled. Data governance documentation is lighter than enterprise-focused providers.

5/5

Customer controls all data retention; Databricks has no access to data stored in customer cloud accounts

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Modal: No published independent certifications. Developer-focused startup with self-attested security practices. Not yet suitable for regulated industry enterprise procurement.

Databricks (Mosaic AI): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001/17/18, HIPAA, FedRAMP Moderate, PCI DSS, and HITRUST certified

1/5

No published independent certifications. Developer-focused startup with self-attested security practices. Not yet suitable for regulated industry enterprise procurement.

5/5

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001/17/18, HIPAA, FedRAMP Moderate, PCI DSS, and HITRUST certified

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Modal: Suited to AI developers and startups building non-personal-data workloads. US jurisdiction and absence of certifications limit suitability for regulated EU industries. Good for R&D and prototyping contexts.

Databricks (Mosaic AI): Purpose-built for regulated enterprise workloads; suitable for healthcare, financial services, and government

2/5

Suited to AI developers and startups building non-personal-data workloads. US jurisdiction and absence of certifications limit suitability for regulated EU industries. Good for R&D and prototyping contexts.

5/5

Purpose-built for regulated enterprise workloads; suitable for healthcare, financial services, and government

Total Score

9/25

22/25

Best For

Modal

Best for organisations requiring broad certification coverage (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017); regulated industries (ICO, HHS); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment; enterprises requiring SSO integration.

Databricks (Mosaic AI)

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Detailed Comparison

Databricks (Mosaic AI) vs Modal: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Databricks (Mosaic AI) (Databricks, US) scores 22/25 overall with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. Unified data and AI lakehouse platform for enterprise-scale machine learning. Modal (Modal Labs, US) scores 9/25 with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. Serverless GPU compute platform for AI model training, inference, and data pipelines.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Databricks (Mosaic AI) leads with 5/5 vs 1/5.

●Databricks (Mosaic AI) (5/5): Data resides entirely within the customer's own cloud account across all major global regions; VPC injection ensures no shared infrastructure

●Modal (1/5): US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Databricks (Mosaic AI) (2/5): US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; SCCs and DPAs available for EU/UK transfers

●Modal (2/5): Delaware incorporation, US jurisdiction, CLOUD Act applies. Basic GDPR privacy documentation. No EU subsidiary.

#### Data Retention & Training

Databricks (Mosaic AI) leads with 5/5 vs 3/5.

●Databricks (Mosaic AI) (5/5): Customer controls all data retention; Databricks has no access to data stored in customer cloud accounts

●Modal (3/5): Customer compute workloads are isolated and not used for shared training. Workload outputs are customer-controlled. Data governance documentation is lighter than enterprise-focused providers.

#### Certifications

Databricks (Mosaic AI) leads with 5/5 vs 1/5.

●Databricks (Mosaic AI) (5/5): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001/17/18, HIPAA, FedRAMP Moderate, PCI DSS, and HITRUST certified

●Modal (1/5): No published independent certifications. Developer-focused startup with self-attested security practices. Not yet suitable for regulated industry enterprise procurement.

#### Regulatory Fit

Databricks (Mosaic AI) leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

●Databricks (Mosaic AI) (5/5): Purpose-built for regulated enterprise workloads; suitable for healthcare, financial services, and government

●Modal (2/5): Suited to AI developers and startups building non-personal-data workloads. US jurisdiction and absence of certifications limit suitability for regulated EU industries. Good for R&D and prototyping contexts.

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Databricks (Mosaic AI)	Modal
FedRAMP Moderate	Yes	No
HIPAA	Yes	No
HITRUST	Yes	No
ISO 27001	Yes	No
ISO 27017	Yes	No
ISO 27018	Yes	No
PCI DSS	Yes	No
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	No

Overall Verdict

Databricks (Mosaic AI) has a clear trust advantage, scoring 22/25 compared to Modal's 9/25. Databricks (Mosaic AI) particularly excels in data residency, data retention & training, certifications, regulatory fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Modal or Databricks (Mosaic AI)?

Modal has a TrustKit score of 9/25 while Databricks (Mosaic AI) scores 22/25. Databricks (Mosaic AI) currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Modal and Databricks (Mosaic AI) compare on data residency?

Modal scores 1/5 for data residency (US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.), while Databricks (Mosaic AI) scores 5/5 (Data resides entirely within the customer's own cloud account across all major global regions; VPC injection ensures no shared infrastructure).

Are Modal and Databricks (Mosaic AI) GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Modal has a regulatory fit score of 2/5 and Databricks (Mosaic AI) scores 5/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

Explore Each Tool

Modal

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36%

Databricks (Mosaic AI)

View full review →

88%