Common questions about ValidKernel deployment, features, and licensing.
ValidKernel is deterministic trust infrastructure for enterprise AI governance. It provides a validation layer at system boundaries that ensures every AI request is validated against defined policies before execution. Every response is traceable, auditable, and predictable.
Deterministic means same input produces same output. Every time. No variance. No surprises. ValidKernel validation results are reproducible and auditable. Given the same policy and request, the system will always produce the same validation decision.
ValidKernel uses a three-tier governance hierarchy. L0 (Human Governance) defines policies and has ultimate authority. L1 (Kernel) enforces policies without negotiation. L2 (Proposer) makes requests that are validated by L1. Authority flows down, never up.
ValidKernel achieves 0.01ms validation latency. This is 10,000× faster than the industry standard of 100-500ms. Benchmark tests confirm 52/52 passed with this latency target.
LDS (Logical Data Structure) is the canonical format for expressing governance policies. It achieves 5,600:1 semantic compression ratio. The format prioritizes determinism, auditability, and semantic density. Full specification available at succinctauthority.com.
Yes. ValidKernel can be deployed on local hardware with zero network dependencies. The SPEC Explorer case study demonstrates offline-first deployment in construction environments without connectivity.
ValidKernel supports on-premise deployment, cloud deployment (GCP, AWS, Azure), Docker containers, and air-gapped environments. Enterprise deployments can be customized based on security and compliance requirements.
ValidKernel is designed for EU AI Act compliance. It provides the audit trails, human oversight enforcement, and risk management documentation required for high-risk AI systems. See our EU AI Act Implementation Guide whitepaper.
Yes. ValidKernel provides full traceability for ISO 42001 AI management system certification. Policy documentation, enforcement records, and audit logs satisfy certification requirements.
ValidKernel can be deployed in HIPAA-compliant configurations. PHI boundaries are enforced at the kernel layer. Access logging satisfies breach investigation requirements. Contact sales for healthcare deployment guidance.
ValidKernel uses a dual license model. Non-commercial use (personal projects, education, research, open source) is available under MIT license. Commercial use requires a separate license agreement. Contact license@validkernel.com for pricing.
No. The .lds file extension is open and functional. Following the Autodesk .dwg precedent, file extensions cannot be trademarked. Our protection strategy focuses on the LDS specification and certification marks, not the extension.
"LDS" is pending registration as a word mark (Class 9/42). "VTI Certified LDS" is pending registration as a certification mark for systems compliant with LDS specifications. The LDS Format Specification document is copyrighted.
Technical support is available via support@validkernel.com. Enterprise customers have access to dedicated support channels. Documentation is available at /docs. GitHub issues can be filed at github.com/validkernel.
Contact sales@validkernel.com to discuss pilot program access. Enterprise pilots include deployment assistance, integration support, and dedicated technical resources.