Scale AI

AI data labeling and enterprise AI platform for building production-grade AI systems

Snowflake Cortex

AI and ML services built into the Snowflake data platform

Scale AI

Strong

20/25

Snowflake Cortex

Excellent

23/25

Score Breakdown

DimensionScale AISnowflake Cortex

Data Residency

Where is your data stored and processed?

Scale AI: US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

Snowflake Cortex: Multi-cloud deployment across AWS, Azure, and GCP with data residency options in US, EU, APAC, and other regions. Data never leaves the customer's account for AI inference.

4/5

US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

5/5

Multi-cloud deployment across AWS, Azure, and GCP with data residency options in US, EU, APAC, and other regions. Data never leaves the customer's account for AI inference.

Legal Jurisdiction

Which laws govern the company and your data?

Scale AI: US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

Snowflake Cortex: Incorporated in Delaware, USA. Publicly traded with transparent governance and comprehensive data processing agreements.

2/5

US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

4/5

Incorporated in Delaware, USA. Publicly traded with transparent governance and comprehensive data processing agreements.

Data Retention & Training

Is your data used for model training?

Scale AI: Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

Snowflake Cortex: Customer controls all data retention. Time Travel and Fail-Safe features provide configurable data history. AI prompts and outputs processed in-account and not retained by Snowflake.

5/5

Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

5/5

Customer controls all data retention. Time Travel and Fail-Safe features provide configurable data history. AI prompts and outputs processed in-account and not retained by Snowflake.

Certifications

ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cyber Essentials, etc.

Scale AI: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

Snowflake Cortex: Extensive certification portfolio including SOC 1/2 Type II, ISO 27001/27017/27018, PCI DSS, FedRAMP Moderate, and HITRUST.

5/5

SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

5/5

Extensive certification portfolio including SOC 1/2 Type II, ISO 27001/27017/27018, PCI DSS, FedRAMP Moderate, and HITRUST.

Regulatory Fit

Suitability for regulated industries and professional services

Scale AI: Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

Snowflake Cortex: Strong regulatory compliance posture with FedRAMP, HIPAA, and financial services support. Suitable for most regulated industry requirements.

4/5

Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

4/5

Strong regulatory compliance posture with FedRAMP, HIPAA, and financial services support. Suitable for most regulated industry requirements.

Total Score

20/25

23/25

Best For

Scale AI

Best for organisations requiring broad certification coverage (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate); regulated industries (DoD, CISA); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls; organisations that need self-hosted or on-premise deployment.

Snowflake Cortex

Best for organisations requiring broad certification coverage (SOC 2 Type II, SOC 1 Type II, ISO 27001); regulated industries (FINRA); privacy-conscious teams who need strong data retention controls.

Detailed Comparison

Scale AI vs Snowflake Cortex: Trust & Compliance Comparison

Scale AI (Scale AI, US) scores 20/25 overall with a Silver (Strong) trust badge. AI data labeling and enterprise AI platform for building production-grade AI systems. Snowflake Cortex (Snowflake, US) scores 23/25 with a Gold (Excellent) trust badge. AI and ML services built into the Snowflake data platform.

Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown

#### Data Residency

Snowflake Cortex leads with 5/5 vs 4/5.

●Scale AI (4/5): US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project

●Snowflake Cortex (5/5): Multi-cloud deployment across AWS, Azure, and GCP with data residency options in US, EU, APAC, and other regions. Data never leaves the customer's account for AI inference.

#### Legal Jurisdiction

Snowflake Cortex leads with 4/5 vs 2/5.

●Scale AI (2/5): US Delaware corporation subject to CLOUD Act; standard SCCs available for international data transfers

●Snowflake Cortex (4/5): Incorporated in Delaware, USA. Publicly traded with transparent governance and comprehensive data processing agreements.

#### Data Retention & Training

Both score equally at 5/5.

●Scale AI (5/5): Customer data used only for contracted tasks with strict annotator access controls; cryptographic audit trails; no cross-customer data sharing

●Snowflake Cortex (5/5): Customer controls all data retention. Time Travel and Fail-Safe features provide configurable data history. AI prompts and outputs processed in-account and not retained by Snowflake.

#### Certifications

Both score equally at 5/5.

●Scale AI (5/5): SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, FedRAMP Moderate and FedRAMP High — among the highest compliance credentials in the AI sector

●Snowflake Cortex (5/5): Extensive certification portfolio including SOC 1/2 Type II, ISO 27001/27017/27018, PCI DSS, FedRAMP Moderate, and HITRUST.

#### Regulatory Fit

Both score equally at 4/5.

●Scale AI (4/5): Government-grade security posture suitable for defence, intelligence, financial services, and healthcare AI development workloads

●Snowflake Cortex (4/5): Strong regulatory compliance posture with FedRAMP, HIPAA, and financial services support. Suitable for most regulated industry requirements.

Certifications at a Glance

Certification	Scale AI	Snowflake Cortex
FedRAMP High	Yes	No
FedRAMP Moderate	Yes	Yes
HITRUST	No	Yes
ISO 27001	Yes	Yes
ISO 27017	No	Yes
ISO 27018	No	Yes
PCI DSS	No	Yes
SOC 1 Type II	No	Yes
SOC 2 Type II	Yes	Yes

Overall Verdict

Snowflake Cortex has a clear trust advantage, scoring 23/25 compared to Scale AI's 20/25. Snowflake Cortex particularly excels in data residency, legal jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for EU compliance, Scale AI or Snowflake Cortex?

Scale AI has a TrustKit score of 20/25 while Snowflake Cortex scores 23/25. Snowflake Cortex currently rates higher across data residency, legal jurisdiction, data retention, certifications, and regulatory fit.

How do Scale AI and Snowflake Cortex compare on data residency?

Scale AI scores 4/5 for data residency (US-based cloud hosting with on-premise deployment available; FedRAMP cloud for government; data isolated per project), while Snowflake Cortex scores 5/5 (Multi-cloud deployment across AWS, Azure, and GCP with data residency options in US, EU, APAC, and other regions. Data never leaves the customer's account for AI inference.).

Are Scale AI and Snowflake Cortex GDPR compliant?

Both tools are assessed across five compliance dimensions. Scale AI has a regulatory fit score of 4/5 and Snowflake Cortex scores 4/5. Check the full comparison above for a detailed breakdown.

Explore Each Tool