return on investment

The article argues that as AI evolves, data storage becomes a critical challenge surpassing compute demands. Exponential data growth from advanced AI systems, like agentic models, necessitates efficient storage solutions, with economic factors like total cost of ownership and return on investment becoming central. Western Digital's Nicolas Frapard highlights the shift from compute-focused progress to managing vast data estates at scale.

Prominent tech businesses using AI intensively are facing high costs, particularly for agentic chain-of-thought applications. They are now shifting focus to tokenomics to assess the return on investment for large-scale AI spending.