AI API

Salad

Salad is a distributed GPU cloud offering low-cost, geo-distributed compute for AI, inference, training, and other GPU-heavy workloads.

What is Salad?

Salad is a distributed GPU cloud platform that provides access to large numbers of consumer GPUs across a global node network. It is positioned for AI inference, model training, batch processing, rendering, and other GPU-heavy workloads with usage-based pricing and container-based deployment.

Salad vs Similar AI Tools

Pricing ModelPaid, Custom PricingCustom PricingFreeFree
Free Credits
Key Features
  • Distributed GPU cloud with geo-distributed nodes
  • Docker container deployment via Salad Container Engine
  • Usage-based pricing with low starting rates
  • Enterprise-Grade Runtime with high availability
  • Flexible Identity & Access (SAML, OAuth)
  • Tenant Isolation with isolated runtimes, credentials, and audit trails
  • Emulates Ollama, OpenAI, and llama.cpp APIs
  • Transparent forwarding to NVIDIA's OpenAI-compatible API
  • Optional response caching with configurable TTL and size
  • Transparent credential injection for AI agents
  • AES-256-GCM encrypted secret storage at rest
  • Host and path matching for routing secrets to endpoints
Pros
  • Very low starting GPU pricing
  • Large distributed GPU network
  • Enterprise-grade security and governance built-in
  • Multi-tenant isolation for SaaS providers
  • Lightweight and easy to deploy via Docker
  • Caches responses to reduce API calls and latency
  • Open-source and self-hosted, giving full control over credentials
  • Easy setup with one-line install or Docker
Cons
  • GPU availability can be interrupted like spot capacity
  • Longer cold starts than typical cloud GPUs
  • Pricing is not transparent and requires contacting sales
  • Requires technical expertise to set up and configure workflows
  • Only forwards to NVIDIA's API; no other cloud provider support
  • Requires a valid NVIDIA API key
  • Currently limited to single-user local mode by default; OAuth setup requires additional config
  • Requires self-hosting infrastructure (Docker/PostgreSQL)
Best For
  • AI teams needing low-cost GPU inference
  • Startups scaling model workloads quickly
  • Enterprises needing a secure, governable integration platform
  • SaaS companies requiring multi-tenant integration for customers
  • Developers integrating NVIDIA LLMs into existing workflows
  • Users of Open WebUI, curl, or SDKs wanting to leverage NVIDIA models
  • Developers building AI agents that need secure API access
  • Teams managing multiple AI agent deployments with varying credential scopes

How to use Salad?

  1. 1Create a Salad account and contact sales if you need discounted high-volume pricing.
  2. 2Choose the GPU type and quantity that fit your workload.
  3. 3Package your app as a Docker container for Salad Container Engine.
  4. 4Deploy the workload to SaladCloud and monitor availability, scaling, and interruptions.
  5. 5Scale up or down as demand changes without managing individual VMs.

Salad Key Features

  • Distributed GPU cloud with geo-distributed nodes
  • Docker container deployment via Salad Container Engine
  • Usage-based pricing with low starting rates
  • High-scale inference and batch workload support
  • Multi-cloud compatible deployment
  • Automatic workload reallocation when nodes go offline
  • Security isolation with encrypted containers
  • No VM management required

Salad Use Cases

  • AI inference at scale
  • Model training and fine-tuning
  • Text-to-image generation
  • Speech-to-text transcription
  • Computer vision workloads
  • LLM deployment
  • Batch processing and rendering
  • HPC-style GPU workloads

Salad Pricing & Free Credits

Salad currently operates on a Paid, Custom Pricing model.

Free Tier

GPU Cloud Usage

From $0.02/hour

Starting GPU pricing advertised for the platform; actual cost varies by GPU type and workload.

LLM Deployment

From $0.04/hr

Starting price shown for deploying an LLM on the platform.

Text-to-Speech

From $0.10/hour

Starting price shown for text-to-speech related workloads.

Paid Plans

Sales Pricing

Contact for Pricing

Discounted pricing is available for more than 10 GPUs, long-running jobs, and committed contracts.

GPU Cloud Usage

From $0.02/hour

Starting GPU pricing advertised for the platform; actual cost varies by GPU type and workload.

LLM Deployment

From $0.04/hr

Starting price shown for deploying an LLM on the platform.

Text-to-Speech

From $0.10/hour

Starting price shown for text-to-speech related workloads.

Sales Pricing

Contact for Pricing

Discounted pricing is available for more than 10 GPUs, long-running jobs, and committed contracts.

Salad Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Very low starting GPU pricing
  • Large distributed GPU network
  • Good fit for scalable AI inference
  • Docker-based deployment simplifies setup
  • Usage-based pricing with no prepayments

Cons

  • GPU availability can be interrupted like spot capacity
  • Longer cold starts than typical cloud GPUs
  • Highest vRAM on the network is limited to 24 GB
  • Not ideal for extremely low-latency workloads

What is Salad best for?

  • AI teams needing low-cost GPU inference
  • Startups scaling model workloads quickly
  • Developers deploying containerized GPU apps
  • Businesses seeking cheaper alternatives to major clouds
  • Workloads that can tolerate spot-like interruptions

Salad FAQ

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