Choose between Cloud Connected and AI tier

Splunk Enterprise customers can use Splunk AI Assistant with either Cloud Connected or AI tier. Consider your deployment, connectivity, security, and infrastructure requirements when choosing an option.

Cloud Connected option

Use Cloud Connected when your deployment can connect to Splunk Cloud. Cloud Connected provides a simpler operating model because Splunk Cloud provides the cloud-based AI services. It requires reliable network connectivity, appropriate security allowlists, and permission to send required requests or data to Splunk Cloud.

AI tier option

Use AI tier when the platform and AI workloads must run on premises in a customer-managed Kubernetes environment. AI tier is intended for environments with strict data residency, security, or disconnected requirements. Customers provide and operate the required Kubernetes infrastructure, GPU nodes, storage, registry, networking, and related platform dependencies.

Key considerations

When choosing between Cloud Connected and AI tier, consider the following:

  • Where your Splunk data and AI workloads must run.

  • Whether continuous connectivity to Splunk Cloud is available.

  • Data residency, compliance, and security requirements.

  • Your organization's ability to manage Kubernetes, GPUs, storage, networking, upgrades, and troubleshooting.

  • Installation and operational complexity.

  • Network latency and performance requirements.

  • Whether the environment is air-gapped or disconnected.

  • Supported Splunk, Kubernetes, operating system, and infrastructure versions.