Modal icon

Modal

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

vs
OVHcloud AI icon

OVHcloud AI

European sovereign AI infrastructure—GPU compute and managed LLM APIs from France

Modal
36%Caution
9/25
OVHcloud AI
100%Excellent
25/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionModalOVHcloud 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.
OVHcloud AI: Exclusively European data centres with full EU sovereign cloud capabilities. SecNumCloud-qualified infrastructure for highest-sensitivity French public sector requirements. Multiple EU country options (France, Germany, UK, Poland). Maximum data residency score.
1/5
5/5
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.
OVHcloud AI: French SA incorporated under French law, subject to GDPR and EU AI Act as corporate law. No US parent, no CLOUD Act exposure. Founding member of GAIA-X. Active participant in EU sovereignty frameworks. Highest possible legal jurisdiction score.
2/5
5/5
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.
OVHcloud AI: Customer data fully isolated per project. Not used for cross-customer model training. Configurable retention, audit logging, and data deletion workflows. GDPR-compliant DPA included with all cloud services.
3/5
5/5
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.
OVHcloud AI: ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, SOC 2 Type II, HDS (healthcare data hosting), and SecNumCloud qualification. Among the most comprehensively certified European cloud providers. HDS makes OVHcloud suitable for French healthcare AI workloads.
1/5
5/5
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.
OVHcloud AI: Maximum regulatory fit for European organisations. SecNumCloud for French public sector and defence-adjacent workloads. HDS for healthcare. GDPR-native design. NIS2-aligned operational resilience. The strongest sovereignty profile of any managed AI infrastructure provider.
2/5
5/5
Total Score
9/25
25/25

Best For

Modal iconModal

Best for teams on a tight budget.

OVHcloud AI iconOVHcloud AI

Best for EU-headquartered organisations needing maximum data sovereignty; organisations requiring broad certification coverage (ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018); regulated industries (CNIL, ANSSI); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; enterprises requiring SSO integration.

Detailed Comparison

Modal vs OVHcloud AI: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Modal (Modal Labs, US) scores 9/25 overall with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. Serverless GPU compute platform for AI model training, inference, and data pipelines. OVHcloud AI (OVHcloud, FR) scores 25/25 with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. European sovereign AI infrastructure—GPU compute and managed LLM APIs from France.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

OVHcloud AI leads with 5/5 vs 1/5.

Modal (1/5): US-only infrastructure. No EU data centre options. Not suitable for GDPR personal data processing without SCCs and TIA.
OVHcloud AI (5/5): Exclusively European data centres with full EU sovereign cloud capabilities. SecNumCloud-qualified infrastructure for highest-sensitivity French public sector requirements. Multiple EU country options (France, Germany, UK, Poland). Maximum data residency score.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

OVHcloud AI leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

Modal (2/5): Delaware incorporation, US jurisdiction, CLOUD Act applies. Basic GDPR privacy documentation. No EU subsidiary.
OVHcloud AI (5/5): French SA incorporated under French law, subject to GDPR and EU AI Act as corporate law. No US parent, no CLOUD Act exposure. Founding member of GAIA-X. Active participant in EU sovereignty frameworks. Highest possible legal jurisdiction score.

#### Data Retention & Training

OVHcloud AI leads with 5/5 vs 3/5.

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.
OVHcloud AI (5/5): Customer data fully isolated per project. Not used for cross-customer model training. Configurable retention, audit logging, and data deletion workflows. GDPR-compliant DPA included with all cloud services.

#### Certifications

OVHcloud AI leads with 5/5 vs 1/5.

Modal (1/5): No published independent certifications. Developer-focused startup with self-attested security practices. Not yet suitable for regulated industry enterprise procurement.
OVHcloud AI (5/5): ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, SOC 2 Type II, HDS (healthcare data hosting), and SecNumCloud qualification. Among the most comprehensively certified European cloud providers. HDS makes OVHcloud suitable for French healthcare AI workloads.

#### Regulatory Fit

OVHcloud AI leads with 5/5 vs 2/5.

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.
OVHcloud AI (5/5): Maximum regulatory fit for European organisations. SecNumCloud for French public sector and defence-adjacent workloads. HDS for healthcare. GDPR-native design. NIS2-aligned operational resilience. The strongest sovereignty profile of any managed AI infrastructure provider.

Certifications at a Glance

CertificationModalOVHcloud AI
HDSNoYes
ISO 27001NoYes
ISO 27017NoYes
ISO 27018NoYes
SOC 2 Type IINoYes
SecNumCloudNoYes

Overall Verdict

OVHcloud AI has a clear trust advantage, scoring 25/25 compared to Modal's 9/25. OVHcloud AI particularly excels in data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention & training, certifications, regulatory fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Modal or OVHcloud AI?

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

How do Modal and OVHcloud 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 OVHcloud AI scores 5/5 (Exclusively European data centres with full EU sovereign cloud capabilities. SecNumCloud-qualified infrastructure for highest-sensitivity French public sector requirements. Multiple EU country options (France, Germany, UK, Poland). Maximum data residency score.).

Are Modal and OVHcloud AI GDPR compliant?

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

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