Phala Cloud vs AWS Nitro Enclaves

AWS Nitro Enclaves alternative with full open-source solution

Try Phala Cloud
AWS Nitro Enclaves comparison

Why Choose Phala?

Fully open-source with auditable code
Customer-controlled key management
GPU-TEE support for confidential AI
Real-time on-chain attestation
Zero vendor lock-in
Trust Center with 100% visible Chain of Trust
Fully audited by 3rd party security firms

Feature Comparison

Phala

Open-source confidential AI

AWS Nitro Enclaves

Enterprise-grade confidential computing

Hardware Isolation
Intel TDX & AMD SEV
Custom Nitro Security Chip
Enterprise Support
24/7 support available
24/7 AWS Premium Support
Compliance Certifications
SOC2 in progress
HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC
Open Source
Fully auditable code
Proprietary
Decentralized Governance
Ethereum-secured KMS
Centralized AWS control
Public Auditability
On-chain attestation
CloudTrail logs
GPU TEE Support
NVIDIA H100/H200
Not available
Multi-Cloud Support
Deploy anywhere
AWS exclusive
AWS Service Integration
Limited
Native S3, RDS, Lambda
Maturity & Stability
Production since 2021
Enterprise-proven

What does Phala Cloud do?

Phala Cloud is a decentralized confidential computing platform that enables developers to deploy AI applications with full privacy guarantees. Built on open-source technology, it provides GPU TEE support for confidential AI workloads, blockchain-secured key management, and multi-cloud deployment flexibility without vendor lock-in.

What are AWS Nitro Enclaves?

AWS Nitro Enclaves are Amazon's enterprise solution for confidential computing, providing hardware-isolated compute environments within EC2 instances. Built on custom Nitro hardware, they offer strong security guarantees with CPU and memory isolation, comprehensive compliance certifications, and seamless connectivity to AWS services.

Where AWS Nitro Stops, Phala Keeps Going

Beyond CPU-Only Computing

AWS Nitro Enclaves are limited to CPU workloads. Phala extends confidential computing to GPU TEE with H100/H200 support, enabling private AI inference and training at enterprise scale.

Open-Source Transparency

While AWS uses proprietary Nitro hardware and closed-source attestation, Phala provides fully auditable open-source infrastructure. Every component can be verified and deployed independently.

Multi-Cloud Freedom

AWS locks you into their ecosystem with Nitro-specific implementations. Phala runs anywhere - on-premises, AWS, GCP, or Azure - using standard TEE technologies like Intel TDX and AMD SEV.

Decentralized Key Management

AWS controls your keys through centralized KMS. Phala uses blockchain-secured governance where key management decisions are transparent and community-controlled, not controlled by a single company.

When to Choose Each Solution

  1. Choose AWS Nitro Enclaves if you're already deep in the AWS ecosystem, need immediate enterprise support, and your confidential workloads are CPU-only with no AI/GPU requirements.

  2. Choose Phala Cloud if you need GPU TEE support for AI workloads, want infrastructure sovereignty without vendor lock-in, or require full transparency through open-source auditability.

  3. AWS Nitro requires significant AWS expertise and ties you to their proprietary platform, while Phala offers standard container deployment across any infrastructure.

  4. Consider long-term flexibility: AWS creates dependency on their ecosystem, while Phala enables true multi-cloud portability and infrastructure control.

Pricing Comparison

Phala Cloud

Pay-what-you-use pricing starting from $0.10/hour for CPU TEE and $0.50/hour for GPU TEE. No upfront costs, enterprise contracts, or vendor lock-in fees. Transparent community-driven pricing.

AWS Nitro Enclaves

Enterprise pricing with AWS Premium Support fees, EC2 instance costs, plus Nitro Enclave compute charges. Requires AWS expertise and often involves long-term enterprise agreements.

Choose Phala over AWS Nitro Enclaves

Complete open-source transparency - audit all code and infrastructure components
GPU TEE support for next-generation AI workloads with H100/H200 compatibility
Multi-cloud deployment flexibility - avoid vendor lock-in with AWS
Decentralized key management secured by Ethereum blockchain governance

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