Beyond GPUs and API Calls: Understanding the True Cost of AI Initiatives

If you’re building with AI, the first costs you notice are the obvious ones—GPU hours, cloud infrastructure, or API token fees. But the real financial picture extends far beyond those line items. The true cost of running AI workloads spans multiple indirect expenses that rarely show up in a single bill, and without a proper cost allocation process to identify, aggregate, and assign those costs to the right teams and projects, you’re flying blind on total cost of ownership (TCO).