AI Cloud Compute Tool
What is modal.com?
Modal.com is a web platform that provides a cloud computing service enabling users to execute code in the cloud without the need to handle their own infrastructure. This service allows users to deploy functions, containers, and jobs with personalized configurations, and they are billed based on their usage. Additionally, Modal.com offers various features encompassing storage, scheduling, web endpoints, observability, and security. The platform touts itself as a convenient solution for developers seeking access to containerized, serverless computing capabilities.
How does modal.com work?
Modal.com operates by encapsulating your code within a container and running it in the cloud. Users have the flexibility to define container environments and hardware configurations through code, and they can leverage a range of functionalities including storage, scheduling, web endpoints, observability, and security. Billing is based on the precise amount of computing resources utilized, and users can effortlessly scale from zero to hundreds of nodes in a matter of seconds. Modal.com effectively manages all infrastructure-related concerns, eliminating the need for users to set up or oversee any infrastructure components.
How does Modal.com ensure security?
Modal.com employs a comprehensive set of security measures to ensure the safety of its services:
- Utilization of memory-safe programming languages, like Rust and Python, for software development.
- Regular auditing of software dependencies and engagement with external penetration testing firms to evaluate software security.
- Implementation of HTTPS with TLS (SSL) for all services and rigorous verification of TLS certificates on every connection.
- Access control to services and applications through a Single Sign-On Identity Provider (IdP), along with mandatory phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all IdP accounts.
- Protection of employee laptops through full disk encryption, managed by Secureframe Mobile Device Management (MDM).
- Adoption of logging and metrics observability providers such as Datadog and Sentry.io.
- Containerization and virtualization of compute tasks utilizing gVisor, a sandboxing technology developed by Google for their cloud services.
- Regular execution of annual business continuity and security incident exercises.
- Prompt patching or remediation of security vulnerabilities, depending on their severity.
- Successful completion of a System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 Type 1 audit.
How much does modal.com cost?
Modal.com offers three distinct pricing plans as outlined on their website:
Starter Plan: This plan is available free of charge, though it comes with certain limitations, including restrictions on the number of seats, concurrency, and features.
Team Plan: Priced at $100 per month, this plan includes additional features, more seats, and concurrency. Users are also billed for compute usage on top of the base cost.
Enterprise Plan: The Enterprise plan is tailored to individual requirements and is offered on a custom basis. It offers personalized support, priority requests, and the benefit of unlimited seats.
Additionally, Modal.com extends a generous offer of up to $25,000 in free compute credits for early-stage startups.
Compute costs are determined based on the type and usage of CPU, GPU, and memory resources, with charges calculated per second, per core, and per GiB. As an example, an Nvidia A100 GPU with 40 GB of memory incurs a cost of $0.001036 per second.
Furthermore, Modal.com provides users across all plans with a monthly allocation of $30 in complimentary compute credits.
For more comprehensive pricing details, it is advisable to refer to Modal.com's official website or reach out to them directly to obtain a personalized quote.
How to sign up for modal.com?
Signing up for Modal.com is a straightforward process, and here are the steps to get started:
- Visit the Modal.com signup page at modal.com/signup.
- Click on the "Sign up with GitHub" button.
- Authorize Modal.com to access your GitHub account by clicking on "Authorize modal."
- Provide your name, email, and password, and agree to the terms of service and privacy policy.
- Click on "Create account" and proceed to verify your email address.
Congratulations! You have successfully completed the signup process for Modal.com. You will receive $30 of free monthly compute credits upon signup. If you are an early-stage startup, you may also be eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in free compute credits.
With your Modal.com account ready, you can begin running code in the cloud. For more guidance and information on how to use Modal.com effectively, you can refer to their documentation page.
What are the main use cases for Modal?
Modal is designed for diverse use cases including generative AI inference, fine-tuning and training, batch processing, and deploying language models. Developers can utilize Modal to handle high-performance AI, machine learning, and data applications without managing infrastructure. The platform allows you to deploy various workloads, from custom models to popular frameworks, and ensures seamless autoscaling to meet unpredictable demands.
How does Modal's pricing structure work?
Modal offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on the actual compute resources consumed. Users are charged per second of GPU or CPU usage, allowing for efficient cost management. Several GPU options are available, including Nvidia H100 and A100, with their corresponding per-second usage costs. Additionally, there are also charges for memory use. Modal provides $30 of free compute credits each month, allowing users to try out the service and explore their capabilities.
What sets Modal apart in terms of large-scale AI workload handling?
Modal stands out with its powerful Rust-engineered container stack designed for large-scale workloads, supporting scaling from hundreds of GPUs to zero in seconds. This serverless infrastructure caters to developers, offering fast code iterations, optimized container file systems for cold boots, and effective autoscaling. Modal’s flexible environments and seamless integrations, along with powerful job scheduling and debugging tools, make it an ideal choice for high-volume AI and machine learning tasks.
