GPU sandboxes: isolation models and platform support in 2026

A GPU sandbox is an isolated execution environment that allows workloads to access GPUs while maintaining separation from the host system and other tenants, typically through hardware or syscall-level boundaries. Unlike CPU sandboxing, which is well-supported due to established methods for memory and process isolation, GPU sandboxing involves complex hardware-level virtualization, including PCIe device passthrough and IOMMU configurations. Firecracker, a common sandbox platform, does not support GPU passthrough, limiting it to CPU-only workloads, whereas Northflank is one of the few platforms offering both CPU and GPU sandboxing using microVM-based isolation with Kata Containers when nested virtualization is available, and gVisor when it is not. This technological distinction highlights the additional challenges in securely virtualizing GPU resources, making GPU sandboxing more demanding than CPU sandboxing. Northflank's approach allows GPU workloads to run in shared environments, ensuring strong isolation without compromising access to powerful NVIDIA GPUs, and supports deployment across various cloud services and on-premises setups, accommodating compliance and data residency requirements.