Key facts
| Deployment models | Region-locked cloud planes, private endpoint in your VPC, on-prem and air-gapped |
| Plane for this market | APAC plane, Singapore (ap-southeast-1) is nearest; Indian residency needs a customer-managed deployment |
| Models | 30+ models behind one OpenAI-compatible API |
| Pricing | Flat monthly self-serve plans, no per-token billing; see the live pricing page |
| Residency enforcement | Architectural region lock; prompts, completions, embeddings and logs stay in-region |
| Access control | Scoped API keys, RBAC, SSO/SCIM and SIEM-exportable audit logs |
| Compliance alignment | The APAC plane is aligned with PDPA and MAS expectations |
| Product status | Chat, streaming, JSON mode, function calling, embeddings and agents are live |
TL;DR
- Pin the APAC plane (Singapore) or deploy in your own network to meet the DPDP Act, 2023.
- The same OpenAI-compatible API works across every deployment model, so no rewrite is needed.
- 30+ models, from free plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite to frontier reasoning tiers.
- Self-serve pricing is flat monthly; no per-token billing - see the live pricing page.
- Enterprise adds BYOK, zero-knowledge mode, audit export and right-to-audit clauses.
How it works, step by step
- Map your data classes and decide which must stay in India.
- Pick a deployment model: the APAC plane (Singapore), private endpoint, on-prem or air-gapped.
- Create a workspace and issue scoped API keys per environment and team.
- Point your OpenAI-compatible client at api.plugsky.com and map model names.
- Configure prompt retention, RBAC/SSO and audit export to your SIEM.
- Run an evaluation set on local-language and local-regulatory cases before scaling.
- Document the evidence path - DPA, sub-processors and residency attestations - for auditors.
Try it yourself
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What sovereign AI cloud means for India
India pairs rapid AI adoption with sector-by-sector localisation rules. What must stay in the country depends on whether you handle payments, health data or government work. Mumbai (AWS ap-south-1) and Hyderabad (ap-south-2) are the main capacity centres, with Azure Central India serving the same corridor and the India AI Mission funding public capacity.
Sovereign AI cloud is a set of choices, not a single product: where inference runs, where prompts and embeddings rest, who holds the encryption keys, and what evidence you can hand an auditor. Plugsky exposes those choices separately, so a regulated workload can be pinned while everything else stays on the default plane.
Regulatory context: the DPDP Act, 2023
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, with implementing rules taking effect in stages, sets the national framework under the Data Protection Board of India. RBI's 2018 payment-data circular requires payment data to be stored in India, and CERT-In's 2022 directions require incident reporting within six hours and 180-day log retention.
Plugsky's response is architectural: the APAC plane is aligned with PDPA and MAS expectations. Prompts, completions, embeddings and logs stay inside the selected plane, and the guarantee does not rest on a contractual promise alone.
Deployment options, from region-locked planes to air-gapped
Indian teams pin the APAC plane (Singapore) for speed, or deploy in-country - VPC, on-prem or air-gapped - where RBI, insurance or government localisation applies.
- Region-locked plane: managed inference in the EU (Frankfurt), GCC (UAE), APAC (Singapore) or US (Virginia), with Riyadh on Enterprise.
- Private endpoint: the same API inside your VPC.
- On-prem: run inside your own data centre.
- Air-gapped: fully disconnected environments for critical infrastructure.
Because the API surface is identical, moving a workload between these modes is configuration, not a rewrite.
Models, pricing and proof
One endpoint serves 30+ models, from plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite on the free plan to frontier reasoning tiers. Self-serve plans are flat monthly with no per-token billing, and enterprise plans add customer-managed keys, zero-knowledge mode and right-to-audit clauses; current plans live on the pricing page.
Consent notices under the DPDP framework must be understandable in the languages your users actually read, not only English. Meet the mirror check: audio, image generation, moderation, files, batch, fine-tuning, assistants and responses are coming-soon endpoints rather than live today. Treat them as roadmap items when comparing vendors, and verify per-plane model availability before you commit.
Honest comparison
| Consideration | Plugsky | Global hyperscaler AI | Self-managed in-country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residency enforcement | Region-locked planes plus VPC, on-prem and air-gapped | Contractual commitments across shared regions | You build networking and controls |
| Model access | 30+ models on one OpenAI-compatible API | Vendor catalogue per platform | You serve and patch every model |
| Pricing | Flat monthly self-serve plans; see the live pricing page | Consumption-based line items | GPU capex plus operations |
| Time to first request | API key and a base-URL change | Platform-specific setup | Weeks to months |
| Audit and keys | Audit-log export, BYOK on Enterprise | Varies by service | You build everything |
Frequently asked questions
How does the DPDP Act, 2023 affect AI cloud choices in India?
The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, with implementing rules taking effect in stages, sets the national framework under the Data Protection Board of India. RBI's 2018 payment-data circular requires payment data to be stored in India, and CERT-In's 2022 directions require incident reporting within six hours and 180-day log retention. Indian teams pin the APAC plane (Singapore) for speed, or deploy in-country - VPC, on-prem or air-gapped - where RBI, insurance or government localisation applies.
Can India teams keep data in-country with Plugsky?
Indian teams pin the APAC plane (Singapore) for speed, or deploy in-country - VPC, on-prem or air-gapped - where RBI, insurance or government localisation applies. Plugsky publishes region-locked planes in the EU (Frankfurt), GCC (UAE), APAC (Singapore) and US (Virginia), with Riyadh on Enterprise; stricter in-country requirements are met with VPC, on-prem or air-gapped deployment.
Does Plugsky have a data centre or office in India?
Plugsky publishes region-locked planes rather than country-by-country facilities, so check /data-residency for the current list. Deployments in your own VPC, on-prem or air-gapped cover requirements that demand an in-country footprint.
Can we keep prompts, embeddings and logs in our jurisdiction?
Yes, on a region-locked plane the processing path - inference, embeddings and logs - stays in the selected region by architecture rather than by contract. Enterprise agreements add customer-managed keys, zero-knowledge mode and right-to-audit clauses.
What deployment models are available?
Four: a managed region-locked plane, a private endpoint inside your VPC, on-premises deployment, and air-gapped installation for disconnected environments. The API surface is identical across all four.
How is pricing structured, and is there a free option?
Self-serve plans are flat monthly with no per-token billing on the free plan or paid tiers beyond it; plugsky-micro and plugsky-lite are free with no card, and a 14-day full-access trial exists. See the live pricing page for current plans.
Which capabilities are live today?
Chat completions, streaming, JSON mode, function calling, embeddings, RAG and agent loops are live. Audio, images, moderation, files, batch, fine-tuning, assistants and responses are coming-soon endpoints.
How do we prove residency to an auditor?
Provide the DPA, the current sub-processor list, exported audit logs and a description of the residency architecture; Enterprise contracts add right-to-audit clauses. Keep sub-processor notifications in your evidence trail.