Frequently Asked Questions
What is private AI deployment?
Running AI workloads (LLMs, vision models, document processing) on hardware you own or control, inside your network, rather than calling a cloud API. The AI stays on-premise or on a dedicated server and your data never leaves your environment.
Is private AI cheaper than cloud AI?
Over 12-18 months, yes, for most real workloads. Cloud AI has a low entry cost but per-call pricing compounds quickly. Private deployment has higher upfront hardware but flat ongoing cost. The crossover point is usually 100-500 concurrent users or a few million tokens per day.
Does private deployment help with PDPA compliance?
Yes, significantly. Keeping data inside your network removes third-party data transfer concerns, simplifies audit trails and eliminates the need for cross-border data flow notifications. For regulated industries (finance, healthcare, legal), private deployment often turns compliance from a blocker into a non-issue.
What hardware do I need for private AI?
A single workstation with a mid-range GPU (RTX 4090 or similar) handles small team workloads. For 20-100 users or heavy generation, a dedicated inference server with 1-2 data-center GPUs is the sweet spot. For 500+ users or real-time video, expect a small rack. We size this during the proposal.
How long does private AI deployment take?
Standard SME deployment is 2-4 weeks from hardware arrival to team onboarding. This covers installation, model selection and fine-tuning, integration with existing tools and training. Larger deployments with custom model work extend to 6-12 weeks.
What are private AI deployment downsides?
Higher upfront cost, hardware has to be sized upfront (you cannot burst to cloud scale instantly) and you own the maintenance. These are manageable for most SMEs but worth naming upfront. Hybrid setups (private for core workloads, cloud for bursts) are a common compromise.
