Definition
Hosting an application yourself, including an AI platform, on infrastructure you control, rather than consuming a SaaS.
Self-hosting covers on-premise in the strict sense (servers on your premises) but also hosting on a private cloud or a trusted cloud you administer. The decisive criterion: you control who accesses the machine, where the data lives, and you can cut off any outbound call.
For enterprise AI, self-hosting changes the nature of the product: the vendor provides the software and support, but never sees your data. It is also protection against the risk of unilateral shutdown, the service runs on your side, it cannot be “unplugged” remotely.
An agency installs its AI tool on a server it rents from a French host. It decides on updates, access and backups, without depending on a software vendor's choices.
When you want to keep control of your data and your costs, without necessarily buying hardware: the server can be rented.
What is the difference between self-hosting and on-premise?
Self-hosting means you run the software yourself, on a server that can be rented. On-premise goes further: the server is physically on your premises.
All AI models, deployed on your infrastructure, with your documents connected.