How to reduce your cloud costs for AI

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The AI revolution has arrived, and it's no longer a question of if your business will use it, but how. For many leaders, the core decision boils down to a classic dilemma: should we buy an off-the-shelf solution, or should we build our own?

Our experience in the trenches with AI builders tells us the answer is never simple. It's a strategic fork in the road that can lead to incredible breakthroughs or costly roadblocks. Let’s unpack this crucial decision not just from a business perspective, but from the mindset of the modern builder.

The case for buying

For the majority of business use cases, buying an AI solution is the path of least resistance. It's a smart, pragmatic choice that allows companies to get up and running quickly.

Pros: Speed, simplicity, and a lower barrier to entry

Faster time-to-value: Off-the-shelf platforms are designed for rapid deployment, helping you achieve a positive impact in months, not years. Think of tools like Microsoft Copilot or Salesforce Agentforce that offer immediate, powerful functionality without the immense lift of a custom build.
Cost and risk reduction: Buying often involves predictable subscription fees, dramatically lowering the financial barrier to entry and allowing you to invest your capital in your core business.
Leveraging specialized expertise: When you buy a solution, you are not just buying software; you are getting access to a team of dedicated experts who are constantly improving the product, managing security, and ensuring compliance. This frees your team from the complex, specialized challenges.

Cons: Lack of control and differentiation

Limited customization: You're often locked into a vendor's roadmap and features, which can limit your ability to pivot or meet unique business needs.
No competitive moat: If your AI is a core part of your competitive advantage, a standardized, off-the-shelf solution can prevent you from truly differentiating yourself in the market.

The case for building

While buying is often the default, it's not the right choice for everyone. For innovators whose competitive edge is AI, building in-house is the only path forward. This is where the boldest ideas take root.

Pros: Control, differentiation, and unlocking the unprecedented

Core differentiation: If your AI is the secret sauce of your product or service, you need to own it. Custom-built solutions allow you to develop proprietary algorithms and fine-tune models to your unique data, creating a defensible moat against competitors.
Uncompromising control: In-house development gives you complete control over your entire stack, from the software to the underlying infrastructure. You can adjust, customize, and pivot as needed, without being limited by a vendor's roadmap.
Pushing the boundaries: Builders who are defining a new field—whether it's generative AI, drug discovery, or advanced simulation—often need bespoke solutions that don't exist yet. The freedom to build allows them to tackle problems no one else is solving.

Cons: High cost and risk

Massive upfront investment: Building a custom AI system demands a massive upfront investment in talent, hardware, and ongoing maintenance. This can be a significant financial risk.
Operational complexity: You're responsible for everything from hiring AI experts and managing technical debt to maintaining security and ensuring compliance, all of which can divert resources from your core mission.

Why Crusoe is the bridge

The "buy vs. build" dilemma is not as clear-cut as it seems. Many companies are discovering a powerful third way: they are strategically combining both approaches to get the best of both worlds.

This is where Crusoe Cloud comes in.

Regardless of whether you choose to build your own AI applications or buy an off-the-shelf solution, your infrastructure partner is critical. Crusoe is the ideal partner for both paths because our purpose-built cloud is designed to remove the complexity and risk from either decision.

For the "build" path: If you’ve decided to build, the biggest initial hurdles are often talent and infrastructure. You need a team of experts and a powerful, cost-effective cloud to build on. We provide that foundation. Our AI-first infrastructure provides a compelling solution to the massive upfront costs and operational complexities of a custom build. By partnering with us, builders can access the latest GPUs, optimized networking, and a full suite of developer tools without the headache of managing a custom data center. This allows them to focus their talent on their core mission, not on infrastructure.
For the "buy" path: Even when a company chooses to buy a solution, they still need a reliable, high-performance platform to host their data, support integrations, and scale their applications without compromise. Crusoe's purpose-built cloud ensures your "bought" AI solution performs optimally within your existing IT ecosystem. We provide a managed, enterprise-ready platform that simplifies deployments and provides the robust scalability and reliability that mission-critical applications require.

At Crusoe, we’re focused on empowering every builder to reach their full potential. We provide the intelligence you need to make the right decision, and the infrastructure to turn your vision into reality. Learn more about Crusoe Cloud.