Modal

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

Groq

Ultra-fast LPU inference for open-source LLMs at developer-friendly pricing

Modal

Caution

9/25

Groq

Caution

10/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionModalGroq

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.

Groq: All inference processed in US data centres. No EU data residency option available as of early 2026. European businesses processing personal data via the Groq API must implement GDPR transfer mechanisms.

1/5

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

1/5

All inference processed in US data centres. No EU data residency option available as of early 2026. European businesses processing personal data via the Groq API must implement GDPR transfer mechanisms.

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.

Groq: Groq Inc. incorporated in California, subject to US law including the CLOUD Act. GDPR-compliant DPA available contractually, but US legal jurisdiction is the governing framework. No EU parent company or subsidiary structure.

2/5

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

2/5

Groq Inc. incorporated in California, subject to US law including the CLOUD Act. GDPR-compliant DPA available contractually, but US legal jurisdiction is the governing framework. No EU parent company or subsidiary structure.

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.

Groq: Groq's privacy policy states that inference request data is not used for model training. Minimal data retention for API calls. Suitable for non-personal-data inference use cases; personal data processing requires GDPR transfer mechanism.

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.

4/5

Groq's privacy policy states that inference request data is not used for model training. Minimal data retention for API calls. Suitable for non-personal-data inference use cases; personal data processing requires GDPR transfer mechanism.

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.

Groq: No published ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, or other independent security certifications as of early 2026. Privacy and security practices are self-attested. This is a significant gap for enterprise procurement in regulated industries.

1/5

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

1/5

No published ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, or other independent security certifications as of early 2026. Privacy and security practices are self-attested. This is a significant gap for enterprise procurement in regulated industries.

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.

Groq: Not suitable for GDPR-regulated personal data processing without appropriate SCCs and transfer impact assessment. Good option for non-personal-data use cases (e.g., inference on internal documents with no personal data). Not recommended for regulated EU industries without significant additional controls.

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.

2/5

Not suitable for GDPR-regulated personal data processing without appropriate SCCs and transfer impact assessment. Good option for non-personal-data use cases (e.g., inference on internal documents with no personal data). Not recommended for regulated EU industries without significant additional controls.

Total Score

9/25

10/25

Best For

Modal

Best for privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; teams on a tight budget.

Groq

Best for teams on a tight budget.

Detailed Comparison

Groq vs Modal: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Groq (Groq, US) scores 10/25 overall with a Review Required (Caution) trust badge. Ultra-fast LPU inference for open-source LLMs at developer-friendly pricing. 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

Both score equally at 1/5.

●Groq (1/5): All inference processed in US data centres. No EU data residency option available as of early 2026. European businesses processing personal data via the Groq API must implement GDPR transfer mechanisms.

●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.

●Groq (2/5): Groq Inc. incorporated in California, subject to US law including the CLOUD Act. GDPR-compliant DPA available contractually, but US legal jurisdiction is the governing framework. No EU parent company or subsidiary structure.

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

#### Data Retention & Training

Groq leads with 4/5 vs 3/5.

●Groq (4/5): Groq's privacy policy states that inference request data is not used for model training. Minimal data retention for API calls. Suitable for non-personal-data inference use cases; personal data processing requires GDPR transfer mechanism.

●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

Both score equally at 1/5.

●Groq (1/5): No published ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II, or other independent security certifications as of early 2026. Privacy and security practices are self-attested. This is a significant gap for enterprise procurement in regulated industries.

●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

Both score equally at 2/5.

●Groq (2/5): Not suitable for GDPR-regulated personal data processing without appropriate SCCs and transfer impact assessment. Good option for non-personal-data use cases (e.g., inference on internal documents with no personal data). Not recommended for regulated EU industries without significant additional controls.

●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.

Overall Verdict

Groq and Modal are closely matched on trust and compliance, with scores of 10/25 and 9/25 respectively. The right choice depends on your specific regulatory requirements and existing technology stack.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Modal or Groq?

Modal has a TrustKit score of 9/25 while Groq scores 10/25. Groq currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Modal and Groq 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 Groq scores 1/5 (All inference processed in US data centres. No EU data residency option available as of early 2026. European businesses processing personal data via the Groq API must implement GDPR transfer mechanisms.).

Are Modal and Groq GDPR compliant?

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

Explore Each Tool