Enterprises weigh AI consumption pricing vs asset ownership
as ai moves from pilots to production, companies must decide when to treat ai infrastructure as a productive asset rather than consumption-based pricing. this decision affects ai cost predictability and scalability.
as ai moves from pilots to production, enterprises face a decision on whether to use consumption pricing or treat ai infrastructure as a productive asset. deloitte's 2026 state of ai in the enterprise report shows worker access to ai rose 5% in 2025, and the share of companies with at least 40% of their ai projects in production is expected to double within six months. the economics of ai change when usage becomes steady and large enough to keep capacity productive. leaders must consider factors such as expected demand, capacity utilization, and workload requirements to determine the most economical approach. ownership only makes sense when an enterprise can keep capacity productive.