The processing frame
POPIA requires lawful, minimal, and secure processing of personal information. The deployment documents purpose, access, and processors for that review.
Self-hosted AI / South Africa
Self-hosted AI for South African companies, under POPIA and the Information Regulator.
Private AI deployed for South African businesses under the Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPIA), with hosting in Cape Town and a disclosed data path. The Information Regulator monitors and enforces POPIA, so the deployment documents lawful, minimal, and controlled processing.
From ZAR 64,000 / $3,500 / NGN 2.5m floorsaf-south-1 (Cape Town) optionClient-owned accountsFull handover
Example only / architecture varies by client
Designed for review against the Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPIA) and the Information Regulatoraf-south-1 (Cape Town) optionClient-owned billingFull handover
Why it matters here
POPIA makes the responsible party show the path.
Lawfulness, minimality, and controlled access are the frame the deployment is built inside.
Enforcement is active
The Information Regulator monitors and enforces POPIA. The handover is written for that standard of review.
Data in South Africa
af-south-1 (Cape Town) is the default region, with on-prem for stricter requirements.
The three levels
The architecture follows the constraint.
There is no single correct answer. Quality, privacy, residency, and budget decide the path.
Your cloud, in Cape Town
App and document store in your account in af-south-1 (Cape Town), with the model on your key. No GPU required.
For location requirements
An approved cloud region or managed service when residency and procurement matter.
For strict control
Model, embeddings, and retrieval on your hardware when external inference is not acceptable.
What it really takes
Measured workloads, not GPU shopping lists.
Hardware is sized after the workload is real. These are starting points, not quotes.
4 to 8 vCPU, 16 to 32 GB RAM
No GPU required for the app and document store. Model usage bills stay on the client account.
From 24 GB VRAM
A starting point for a small quantized text model. Model size, concurrency, and latency decide the real requirement.
Power, cooling, updates, backups
A GPU is one part of the environment. A partner data centre can be more realistic than an office server room.
Not the first promise
We size hardware after the workload is proven. No GPU inventory before a signed scope and deposit.
Straight answers
Common questions.
Where would the data be hosted?
The default is af-south-1 (Cape Town), documented in the architecture before anything is built.
Does the Information Regulator approve systems?
No. The Regulator supervises processing under POPIA. The deployment provides the documentation a review would inspect.
Who owns the accounts?
The South African client owns the cloud, model, and storage accounts. Pristine3D hands over the runbook, credentials, and training.
Do invoices come in South African rand?
Yes, from ZAR 64,000 for a first workflow, with USD and naira floors unchanged.
POPIA asks how the data flows. The deployment answers before the first document is loaded.
Why trust Pristine3D?
We build and operate production software.
Pristine3D Ltd builds and operates live digital products, and we run private AI workflows internally as part of our own operations. We scope around your real workflow: the documents you own, the questions your team asks, and the access boundary you approve. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, we work remotely with clients worldwide.
We already run live products
Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Pristine3D currently builds and operates smartcards.ng, venu.ng, photoshoot.ng, and ugc.ng in production.
We start with the actual workflow
One input, one output, one test set, and one person who owns the result. We scope a real workflow instead of a transformation programme.
The boundary stays visible
Cloud, model, storage, and messaging accounts stay in your name. The chosen data path, access rules, test record, documentation, and training are part of the agreed scope.
Pricing / fixed scope
Know the starting numbers before you ask.
The final quote follows the workflow. Infrastructure and model bills stay on your accounts.
One Workflow
Starting from$3,500 / ₦2.5m
2 to 3 weeksOne workflow for a small team, with training and handover.
See the one-workflow packageFirm-wide
Starting from$7,500 / ₦8m
4 to 6 weeksMultiple sources, roles, integrations, and admin handover.
See the deploymentAnnual support
Starting from$3,000 / ₦1.5m
per yearStandard care for one delivered workflow. Optional. Larger deployments and active monitoring are separately scoped.
See supportArchitecture review from $500. Standard annual support is $3,000 / ₦1.5m per year for one delivered workflow. New workflows, integrations, active monitoring, and infrastructure are separately scoped; infrastructure, model, storage, and messaging bills stay on client accounts. Full pricing and what changes the quote
Own your knowledge base
The model is not the product. The knowledge base is.
Documents, the retrieval index, access rules, and the workflows built around them are the asset, and they compound. We deploy so the knowledge base stays yours: on your accounts, in the environment you choose, under access rules your team defines. The model behind the answers is a connector, so the knowledge base moves with you, not with a vendor.
Your corpus, your index
The document store, metadata, and retrieval setup live on accounts you own. No vendor holds the corpus.
Models are swappable parts
Change the model provider, move regions, or go local without rebuilding the knowledge base or the workflow.
The knowledge base is the alpha
Every improvement to the corpus improves the answers, and the improvement stays with you, not with a vendor.
Keep exploring
Related setups.
Start with the constraint
What is your constraint?
Residency, POPIA review, procurement, or a no-external-inference rule. Describe it and we will map the architecture.