Guides
Guides for build-vs-buy AI decisions.
Direct answers on LLM cost, self-hosting break-even, GPU ROI and private RAG, each with the numbers behind it.
AI optimization
What Is AI Optimization? The Four Layers That Cut an AI Bill
AI optimization explained as four layers — model routing, workflow discipline, serving-stack engineering, and infrastructure placement — with the measured savings each layer produced in our published work.
Read the guideAI audit
The AI Audit Checklist: Where AI Bills Actually Leak
A practical AI audit checklist from real audits: the questions that find spend leaks in agent loops, retries, routing, serving, and infrastructure — before you buy more capacity.
Read the guideopenai api pricing
LLM API Pricing September 2026: OpenAI vs Claude vs Gemini
OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini API token prices verified September 2026 — including the long-context and promotional rates the headline price sheet leaves out.
Read the guidecost to host a private LLM
Cost to Host a Private LLM: Self-Hosted vs API
What it costs to host a private LLM in 2026: monthly cost by model size, the operations floor most spreadsheets omit, and where break-even against API list prices actually sits.
Read the guideL40S vs H100 ROI
L40S vs H100 ROI for LLM Inference
Compare L40S vs H100 ROI for LLM inference across throughput, memory, utilization, capex, and workload fit.
Read the guideedge self-hosted RAG vs OpenAI API
Edge RAG vs OpenAI API: When Private Retrieval Wins
Compare edge or self-hosted RAG vs OpenAI API workflows for privacy, latency, cost, throughput, and operational control.
Read the guideGPU requirements for hosting an LLM
GPU Requirements for Hosting LLMs: Edge to HPC
GPU and hardware requirements for hosting LLMs on-prem: VRAM by model size, edge devices like Jetson Orin Nano, L40S and H100 servers, and HPC clusters.
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