EXOSCALE · TECH
Exoscale: Swiss cloud from Zurich and Lausanne, ISO 27001, A100 GPU available, FINMA-suitable
Exoscale operates cloud regions in Zurich, Lausanne, Vienna, Frankfurt and Sofia. ISO 27001, DPA available, GPU workloads with A100 in Swiss regions.
Researched & fact-checked by: DuneDive LLC · As of: 2026-05
What is Exoscale?
Exoscale is a Swiss cloud platform founded in Lausanne in 2011, owned by A1 Telekom Austria until 2017, acquired by Akamai in 2023. Despite the Akamai (US group) parent, the operating unit remains registered as a Swiss AG headquartered in Lausanne, the staff sits mostly in Switzerland, the data centres in Zurich and Lausanne remain under Swiss law. As of May 2026 Exoscale is one of the few cloud platforms with guaranteed Swiss residency and serious API, Kubernetes and managed-database functionality.
Five regions: ch-gva-2 (Geneva), ch-dk-2 (Zurich), at-vie-1 (Vienna), de-fra-1 (Frankfurt), bg-sof-1 (Sofia). The two Swiss regions are the key points for nFADP and FINMA mandates. Anyone creating a workload in Zurich keeps the data there – Exoscale does not automatically replicate between regions, that is an explicit customer choice.
The product splits into several building blocks. Compute (instances): virtual machines from CHF 5/month for tiny (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 10 GB SSD) up to very large configurations with 256 GB RAM. SKS (Scalable Kubernetes Service) as managed Kubernetes with master upkeep by Exoscale, worker nodes as standard instances. DBaaS (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, Kafka, OpenSearch, Valkey) as managed database with backup and automatic failover. Object storage (S3-API compatible) from CHF 0.02/GB/month. Block storage as persistent data store. Private networks for multi-VM setups. As of May 2026 GPU instances with NVIDIA A100 are available in the Swiss regions – a step with which Exoscale takes on RunPod or Lambda Labs, but with guaranteed Swiss residency.
The platform is API-first. There is an official CLI, a Terraform provider, a Python SDK and Go SDK, plus cloud-init support and a REST API with OpenAPI spec. Anyone running Infrastructure-as-Code is at home here.
Why it matters
Exoscale solves three problems at once that are central in practice for Swiss FINMA and fiduciary mandates: guaranteed Swiss residency with the API comfort of a modern cloud provider, depth of managed services without hyperscaler contract complexity, and GPU workloads without third-country transfer.
Swiss residency with cloud comfort: AWS, Azure and Google Cloud do offer Zurich regions but are legally US groups under the CLOUD Act. Hetzner and OVHcloud are EU providers, not CH. Infomaniak is CH but with a limited GPU offering and narrower API depth. Exoscale closes the gap: Swiss region, Swiss contracting party, Kubernetes service, managed PostgreSQL, A100 GPU.
Parent question: Akamai is a US public company. The contract with Exoscale goes through the Swiss AG, the data sits in Switzerland, the staff sits in Switzerland. A US subpoena cannot directly compel the Swiss contracting party to surrender data – it would have to go via the Federal Office of Justice and convince a Swiss court. Still, in a Transfer Impact Assessment the US parent must be addressed as a theoretical access point. For standard fiduciaries this usually suffices; for bank mandates under FINMA supervision the answer is often Swisscom Cloud or Safe Swiss Cloud – but Exoscale can heal the matter with additional technical measures (KMS-managed encryption, bring-your-own-key).
GPU availability: NVIDIA A100 is available in the Swiss Exoscale regions as of May 2026. That is a differentiator versus Infomaniak (GPU under construction) and Safe Swiss Cloud (no GPU). Anyone needing open-weight LLM inference with Swiss compliance – for mandates under professional secrecy – finds a workable architecture here without resorting to the US GPU cloud.
FINMA suitability: Exoscale holds ISO 27001 and has a documented FINMA outsourcing compliance profile. For FINMA outsourcing filings the ISO 27001 certificate plus the contracting-party proof usually suffices. For highly regulated mandates (TBTF banks, large insurers) Swisscom Cloud remains the natural partner.
How it works
Ordering: via the portal at portal.exoscale.com. Account creation with Swiss VAT logic, payment by credit card or bank transfer (CHF/EUR). Compute instance provisioning typically in 30-60 seconds, Kubernetes cluster in 5-10 minutes, managed PostgreSQL in 5-10 minutes. SSH access by public key, cloud-init supported for automated hardening.
Sample prices May 2026: standard instance Large (4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD) in ch-dk-2: CHF 47/month. Instance XLarge (8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 200 GB SSD): CHF 165/month. GPU instance with NVIDIA A100-40GB in Switzerland: CHF 2.50/hour (list price May 2026), equivalent to roughly CHF 1,800/month at constant runtime. Managed PostgreSQL Hobbyist with 25 GB storage: CHF 49/month. Object storage 1 TB in ch-dk-2: CHF 20/month. Egress traffic 1 TB/month included, beyond that CHF 0.04/GB.
Kubernetes (SKS): master upkeep by Exoscale included, worker nodes billed as standard instances. A standard cluster with 3 worker nodes (medium instance) costs around CHF 100/month. Upgrades to new Kubernetes versions are non-disruptive, backup and logs are managed automatically.
Network: every instance has a public IPv4 and IPv6. Private networks can be configured across regions; data then leaves the region – a deliberate customer architecture decision. Firewall rules are managed via security groups, load balancer as network load balancer with Layer-4 routing.
Storage: block storage as persistent data store (CHF 0.05/GB/month), object storage as S3-compatible bucket (CHF 0.02/GB/month), snapshots created daily automatically at CHF 0.01/GB/month. Backup to object storage in another region is a common disaster-recovery architecture.
Contract details: all contracts run under Swiss law, jurisdiction Lausanne. DPA is generated in the customer area, signed and filed in the compliance dossier. The Akamai parent is addressed in the TIA documentation, technical measures (KMS, bring-your-own-key) additionally available.
Migration: standard migration path is a Terraform script or Kubernetes manifests redeployed, then data copied via object storage replication. For a 10-VM migration out of AWS or Hetzner typically 1-3 days.
Exoscale setup for a Swiss AI stack in 5 steps
- 01Create an account at portal.exoscale.com, register Swiss company details with UID, generate and sign the DPA in the compliance section.
- 02Choose region ch-dk-2 (Zurich) or ch-gva-2 (Geneva), set instance sizing – Large for CPU workloads, GPU A100 for inference.
- 03Set up a Terraform project, define compute instances, SKS cluster and managed Postgres database as code, create the GitOps repo.
- 04Initial hardening: cloud-init with SSH keys, ufw, CrowdSec, unprivileged sudo user, automatic security updates.
- 05Roll out Docker Compose or Helm charts: n8n, Qdrant, Postgres as managed DB, optionally Apertus API or Llama 3 inference on the A100.
When to use Exoscale
Exoscale is the right choice when (a) Swiss residency is mandatory, (b) at the same time managed-service depth is needed (Kubernetes, Postgres, object storage in one platform), or (c) GPU workloads in Switzerland are required. Concrete cases: Swiss fiduciary with a RAG pipeline (Postgres + Qdrant + Apertus inference on A100) in one platform. Swiss insurer with Kubernetes-based backend and database service. Fintech startup with a Swiss AG that needs fast API provisioning.
Exoscale also suits multi-region setups with CH primary and EU DR well. Primary in ch-dk-2, disaster recovery in at-vie-1 or de-fra-1, replication via object storage. Egress costs between Exoscale regions are predictable.
For Infrastructure-as-Code teams Exoscale is a sweet spot. The Terraform provider is actively maintained, the API has been stable for years, webhooks for cloud events exist. Anyone running GitOps with ArgoCD or Flux fits well with SKS.
When not to use
Anyone needing the highest FINMA tier (TBTF bank, large insurer, regulated wealth manager with retail clients) is better served by Swisscom Cloud or Safe Swiss Cloud. Exoscale is FINMA-suitable for mid-sized mandates, but Swisscom has the larger regulatory apparatus and the bank-specific compliance packages (PCI-DSS, FINMA Circular 18/03).
Anyone putting budget discipline above all and without Swiss residency requirements drives cheaper with Hetzner or OVHcloud. Exoscale is factor 3-5 more expensive than Hetzner at comparable configuration, and factor 1.5-2 more expensive than OVHcloud.
For multi-GPU training jobs (8x A100 for several days) Exoscale is not the optimal setup as of May 2026. RunPod EU-Sweden or Lambda Labs USA have larger GPU pools and lower hourly prices. Exoscale A100 fits inference and individual finetune jobs, not large training runs.
General caveat: the Akamai parent must be documented in every TIA. For the standard fiduciary mandate that is a 1-2 page document; for a particularly sensitive mandate it may be a selection factor against Exoscale – then Infomaniak or Safe Swiss Cloud is cleaner.
Trade-offs
STRENGTHS
- Guaranteed Swiss residency in two regions (Zurich, Geneva), Swiss AG as contracting party
- Managed-service depth (Kubernetes, Postgres, S3) without hyperscaler contract complexity
- NVIDIA A100 GPU available in Swiss region – inference without third-country transfer
- API-first with Terraform provider, stable SDK, and OpenAPI spec
WEAKNESSES
- Akamai (US) as parent group – TIA documentation required
- Factor 3-5 more expensive than Hetzner at comparable configuration
- Multi-GPU training is not the focus; for 8x A100 clusters RunPod or Lambda is better
- For TBTF banks or large insurers Swisscom Cloud is regulatorily cleaner
FAQ
How does the Akamai acquisition affect Swiss compliance?
Operationally little changes – the Swiss AG remains the contracting party, staff sits in Switzerland, the data centres in Zurich and Geneva are under Swiss law. A US subpoena does not directly reach the Swiss contracting party. In the transfer impact assessment, however, the US parent must be addressed as a theoretical access point. For standard fiduciaries that is a 1-2 page documentation; for highly sensitive mandates (professional secrecy Art. 321 SCC) Infomaniak or Safe Swiss Cloud is cleaner.
Is Exoscale FINMA-suitable?
Yes, for medium-sized mandates with FINMA outsourcing requirements. Exoscale documents its FINMA outsourcing compliance path with ISO 27001, DPA per nFADP, and Swiss law. For highly regulated mandates (TBTF bank, large insurer) Swisscom Cloud with its explicit FINMA-certified setup is more appropriate. Before signing the contract, clarify with the FINMA outsourcing compliance officer.
What does a production AI stack cost on Exoscale?
Compute instance Large (4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD): CHF 47/month. Managed PostgreSQL Startup: CHF 95/month. Object storage 500 GB: CHF 10/month. SKS cluster with 3 medium worker nodes: CHF 100/month. Optional A100 GPU instance (only on demand): CHF 2.50/hour. Together without GPU about CHF 250-300/month for the hosting layer of a 10-person fiduciary firm with Swiss residency. With occasional A100 use (50 hours/month) plus CHF 125 – total CHF 400-500/month.
How does Exoscale stand against AWS Zurich?
AWS Zurich is a US-group region. CLOUD Act applies, a US subpoena can compel AWS US directly to surrender data, even when the data sits in Zurich. Exoscale Zurich is a Swiss AG, the contracting party sits in Lausanne. A US subpoena does not directly reach the Swiss contracting party. For an nFADP-compliant setup, Exoscale is the more cleanly documentable choice. Price-wise Exoscale sits slightly below AWS Zurich at comparable configuration, with markedly more predictable egress costs.