# Data Residency

> Data residency is the requirement that personal or regulated data stays within a specified geographic region throughout processing, storage, and backup.

Category: Methodology
Source: https://impetora.com/glossary/data-residency
Part of: Impetora AI consulting glossary (https://impetora.com/glossary)

## What is Data Residency?

Data residency is a contractual and configuration concern. Cloud providers offer EU regions; model API providers offer EU-only routing; vector databases offer regional clusters. Residency is distinct from data transfer (the legal mechanism for moving data) and from sovereignty (state-level control over data and infrastructure). Enterprise buyers in EU finance, healthcare, and the public sector frequently require EU residency end-to-end.

## How does Data Residency apply to enterprise AI?

Impetora deploys EU-resident infrastructure by default and documents every component's region in /security. This is one of the most common procurement filters.

## Related terms

- [Sub-processor](https://impetora.com/glossary/sub-processor) - A sub-processor is a third party that processes personal data on behalf of a processor, typically an infrastructure or software vendor sitting beneath the primary service provider.
- [GDPR](https://impetora.com/glossary/gdpr) - The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the EU's data-protection regulation, governing the processing of personal data of people in the EU and EEA.
- [EU AI Act](https://impetora.com/glossary/eu-ai-act) - The EU AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) is the European Union's horizontal regulation for AI, classifying systems by risk and imposing obligations on providers, deployers, importers, and distributors.
- [AI Risk Management](https://impetora.com/glossary/ai-risk-management) - AI risk management is the discipline of identifying, assessing, mitigating, and monitoring the harms an AI system can cause across its lifecycle.

## External references

- [Impetora security posture](https://impetora.com/security)

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Impetora is a custom AI consultancy and solutions partner for enterprises in regulated industries. Submit a project at https://impetora.com/intake.