Glossary
Definition
Self-hosting
Hosting an application yourself — including an AI platform — on infrastructure you control, rather than consuming a SaaS.
Self-hosting covers on-premise in the strict sense (servers in your offices) but also hosting on a private cloud or a trusted cloud you administer. The decisive criterion: you control who accesses the machine, where the data lives, and you can cut any outbound call.
For enterprise AI, self-hosting changes the nature of the product: the vendor provides software and support but never sees your data. It also protects against unilateral cut-off risk — the service runs on your side and cannot be remotely 'unplugged'.
Further reading
Sovereign AI, in practice
Multiple AI models run in the EU or on your infrastructure, with your documents connected.