Confidential Computing Hosted Cloud Infrastructure
Dedicated bare metal servers with Intel TDX and SGX for workloads that require hardware-based isolation, memory encryption, and attestation capabilities.
Why OpenMetal for Confidential Computing?
Hardware Requirements Public Cloud Abstracts
Intel TDX and SGX require all DIMM channels fully populated (8 DIMMs per CPU socket) to enable hardware encryption. Partial configurations disable these features at the BIOS level. Production workloads need 1TB+ memory to run comfortably: TDX reserves per-page metadata (PAMT) before any Trust Domain launches, roughly 1/256 of total RAM, and SGX separately reserves Enclave Page Cache (up to 512 MB per socket). At lower total RAM, this overhead consumes a larger share before workloads even start.
On bare metal, you verify hardware configuration like processor model, memory layout, and NVMe storage before deploying workloads. Shared infrastructure abstracts these details, leaving uncertainty about whether configurations meet Intel’s requirements.
Consistent Performance Without Resource Contention
Confidential computing adds overhead: memory encryption on every access, context switches for Trust Domain boundaries, attestation protocol latency. On shared infrastructure, this compounds with hypervisor delays and resource contention.
Dedicated processors eliminate noisy neighbor effects. Every core, memory channel, and I/O path belongs to your workloads. Performance remains stable for benchmarking and SLA compliance.
Economics That Scale with Capacity, Not Instance Count
Fixed monthly cost per server versus premium per-instance pricing. Run multiple Trust Domains on the same hardware without additional licensing fees. Unmetered internal bandwidth prevents unexpected charges when transferring encrypted datasets between isolated workloads.
For a detailed discussion and assessment of your confidential computing needs, schedule a complimentary cloud consultation.
Built for Confidential Workloads
- 5th and 6th Gen Intel Xeon Processors: Native TDX and SGX support with hardware-based memory encryption and Trust Domain isolation operating independently of the hypervisor, available on Emerald Rapids (v4) and Granite Rapids (v5) platforms.
- 8 DIMMs per CPU Socket: Intel requires fully populated memory channels to enable TDX/SGX. Partial configurations leave these features disabled in BIOS.
- 1TB+ System Memory: Sufficient capacity after accounting for TDX’s per-page metadata reserve (PAMT, roughly 1/256 of total RAM) and SGX’s Enclave Page Cache reserve (up to 512 MB per socket).
- NVMe Storage: Low-latency I/O for loading encrypted data into Trust Domains without cloud storage tier performance variability.
- Dual 10 Gbps Network: High bandwidth for encrypted dataset transfers between Trust Domains. Unmetered internal traffic. LACP bonding for fault tolerance.
- Bare Metal API Access: API-driven provisioning of dedicated TDX/SGX-capable servers through OpenMetal Central.
Comparing Confidential Computing Infrastructure Options
When thinking about where to host your confidential computing workloads, it’s wise to compare the major options out there and see which offer the features and benefits you need.
Hardware Access
| Public Cloud | On-Premises | Traditional Private Cloud | OpenMetal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtualized TEE instances, limited visibility into processor features and memory configuration. | Complete control over hardware selection and configuration. Long procurement and setup times. | Full control but requires building and maintaining infrastructure. Long procurement lead times. | Direct access to Intel TDX/SGX on dedicated bare metal processors, with full BIOS control. TDX and SGX require bare metal; they are not available through OpenStack Nova or hosted private cloud deployments. |
Performance
| Public Cloud | On-Premises | Traditional Private Cloud | OpenMetal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varies with noisy neighbor effects. Hypervisor adds latency to every memory access. | Maximum performance with dedicated resources. Requires expertise to optimize configurations. | Predictable within private environment. Requires capacity planning to avoid oversubscription. | Consistent latency without tenant contention. Dedicated bare metal hardware eliminates multi-tenant performance impacts for TDX and SGX workloads. |
Security Isolation
| Public Cloud | On-Premises | Traditional Private Cloud | OpenMetal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Domains isolated from other tenants but share physical infrastructure. Provider controls firmware. | Complete physical control. All security decisions managed internally. Requires dedicated security team. | Single-tenant environment. Full control over security policies. Requires expertise to configure. | Dedicated hardware with no multi-tenant sharing. Hardware attestation verifies platform integrity. Available on individual bare metal servers. |
Cost Structure
| Public Cloud | On-Premises | Traditional Private Cloud | OpenMetal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium per-instance pricing plus licensing and egress charges. Costs spike unpredictably. | High capital expenditure for hardware, datacenter space, power, cooling. Ongoing maintenance costs. | Large capital investment upfront. Fixed costs regardless of utilization. | Fixed monthly cost per server or Cloud Core. No per-VM licensing fees. Unmetered internal bandwidth. Egress included in allocation. |
Scaling Model
| Public Cloud | On-Premises | Traditional Private Cloud | OpenMetal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale by requesting more instances (availability dependent). Costs scale linearly with VMs. | Scale by purchasing and installing hardware. Requires datacenter capacity planning and rack space. | Scale by purchasing more hardware. Long lead times for capacity additions. | Run multiple Trust Domains on the same bare metal hardware. Add capacity without procurement delays. |
Management
| Public Cloud | On-Premises | Traditional Private Cloud | OpenMetal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managed by cloud provider. Limited customization of confidential computing features. | Complete operational responsibility. Requires facilities management, hardware maintenance, and security teams. | Full operational responsibility. Requires dedicated infrastructure team. | Physical infrastructure managed by OpenMetal. You manage workloads and security policies on bare metal. Optional assisted management available. |
Best For
| Public Cloud | On-Premises | Traditional Private Cloud | OpenMetal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development, testing, or workloads with flexible performance requirements. | Organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements, existing datacenter facilities, and large IT teams. | Organizations with existing infrastructure teams and long-term capacity requirements. | Production confidential workloads requiring dedicated bare metal hardware for TDX/SGX isolation and attestation. |
OpenMetal Server Options for Confidential Computing
| Large v4 (Upgraded) | XL v4 | XXL v4 | XL v5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processors | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6526Y 32C/64T 2.8/3.9Ghz | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6530 64C/128T 2.1/4.0Ghz | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6530 64C/128T 2.1/4.0Ghz | Dual Intel Xeon 6530P 64C/128T 2.3/4.1Ghz |
| Standard Memory | 512GB DDR5 5200MHz | 1024GB DDR5 4800MHz | 2048GB DDR5 4800MHz | 1024GB DDR5 6400MHz |
| TDX/SGX Memory Config | Upgrade to 1TB required (8 DIMMs per CPU) | Standard 1TB config (8 DIMMs per CPU) | Standard 2TB config (16 DIMMs per CPU) | Standard 1TB config (8 DIMMs per CPU) |
| SGX/TDX Ready | With memory upgrade | Out-of-the-box | Out-of-the-box | Out-of-the-box |
| Storage | 2x 6.4TB NVMe 2x 960GB Boot Disk | 4x 6.4TB NVMe 2x 960GB Boot Disk | 6x 6.4TB NVMe 2x 960GB Boot Disk | 4x 6.4TB NVMe 2x 960GB Boot Disk |
| Network | 20Gbps Private 4Gbps Public | 20Gbps Private 6Gbps Public | 20Gbps Private 10Gbps Public | 20Gbps Private 6Gbps Public |
| Monthly Cost (2-Year) | $1,009.30 (Before upgrade) | $1,708.99 | $2,390.11 | $3,318.91 |
| Best For | Production workloads with moderate confidential computing requirements | Production confidential computing with multiple Trust Domains | Large-scale deployments with memory-intensive confidential workloads | Production confidential computing on current-generation hardware, including confidential AI inference, regulated data processing, and validator key protection workloads that benefit from higher memory bandwidth and multiple Trust Domains. |
Pricing and specs are per bare metal server. Prices may change at any time and vary based on data center. For hosted private cloud options with a three-server Cloud Core running OpenStack and Ceph, review our cloud deployment calculator. Our v4 and v5 XL and XXL servers are TDX- and SGX-enabled out-of-the-box. Contact us to see which is the best option for you.
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