Tinfoil is a private AI platform that runs inference, fine-tuning, and AI agents workloads inside secure hardware enclaves so no one, not even Tinfoil, can access sensitive user data.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ To enable this, Tinfoil requires secure hardware features only available in select modern GPUs and CPUs, as well as specific firmwares and BIOS configurations. By working with Shadeform, Tinfoil can easily access machines with these uncommon specs at scale through a single platform, rather than hunting down small allocations across individual providers.

“Scaling our platform depends on access to very specific, hard-to-source GPU infrastructure, which used to create major procurement friction. With Shadeform, we can tap into a broad market of vetted GPU providers through one team and platform. Their speed, flexibility, and pricing have been a clear differentiator.”

Jules Drean, Co-founder, Tinfoil

Challenge:

Scaling workloads with ultra-strict hardware requirements

Tinfoil lets customers run any AI workload with complete privacy, where neither Tinfoil nor the underlying cloud provider can access their data.

To enable this level of privacy, Tinfoil leverages both cutting-edge confidential computing features specific to select modern GPUs and CPUs, as well as precise firmwares and BIOS configurations. These combine to create secure enclaves that isolate AI workloads from the host, the underlying cloud, and Tinfoil themselves.

While this combination is perfect for Tinfoil, most cloud providers don’t architect their compute clusters with confidential computing in mind. These specifications are hard to come by, which made scaling Tinfoil’s service a cumbersome process.

“We used to spend weeks looking for the hardware we needed. Clusters with confidential computing capabilities exist, but they’re spread out in small numbers across many different providers.”

In order to scale their infrastructure more effectively, Tinfoil needed a faster and more consolidated way to access compute with the necessary specifications.

Solution:

One platform to access the world’s supply of confidential computing hardware

Tinfoil turned to Shadeform to unify their procurement process and deploy the hardware they need within hours instead of weeks.

With Shadeform’s centralized network of 30+ cloud partners, Tinfoil can access the cumulative market supply of confidential computing resources through one platform and team.

When Tinfoil needs to scale, Shadeform sources deployments with the right specs, negotiates terms, then presents Tinfoil with multiple vetted options to choose from. All within a matter of hours.

Deployments from each cloud are then managed within one central console with live metrics and unified customer support.

“We’ve saved weeks of engineering time by working with Shadeform. Their speed and proactive support let us stay focused on building the best product in our space.”

Results:

Unblocked scaling, lower costs, and regained engineering time

Since working with Shadeform, Tinfoil has significantly reduced their time to deploy, lowered their compute costs with better deals, and increased their overall productivity by freeing up engineering time.

• Time to deploy compute resources reduced by 15x
• Average compute costs lowered by 10%
• Engineering hours increased by 200/month

Looking forward

Tinfoil recently launched Tinfoil Containers, a new service that allows customers to run any application inside of secure enclaves, bringing end-to-end verifiable privacy to custom AI workloads.

Customers have already used Tinfoil Containers to run fully private fine-tuning pipelines where sensitive training data and model weights remain encrypted and inaccessible even to the service operator. Others have migrated from complex Google Cloud or Azure setups to deploy end-to-end verifiable AI systems, iterating quickly while maintaining hardware-enforced privacy guarantees.

With Shadeform as a core part of their infrastructure strategy, Tinfoil has the capacity and speed to bring about a future where the privacy of on-prem exists in the cloud.

To learn more about how leading confidential computing platforms scale with Shadeform, book a call with our team.