60% of Large Firms Plan Higher Open-Weight AI Use to Control Rising AI Costs

Large Firms Shift to Cost-Effective AI Solutions

Nearly 6 in 10 senior executives at large companies plan to increase their use of cheaper open-weight AI models over the next year, according to a Capgemini study released Thursday1

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. This strategic shift comes as AI costs continue to spiral beyond initial projections, with 59% of surveyed executives reporting that AI spending over the past year significantly exceeded their expectations or budgets by an average of 24%2

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. The IT consulting firm surveyed 500 executives at enterprises with annual revenue of more than $1 billion across 10 countries3

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Growing Concerns About AI Spending

The Capgemini study reveals that 53% of executives are now worried about AI costs, up from 45% who expressed such concerns last year1

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. This mounting anxiety reflects a broader industry reality where initial AI investments have proven more expensive than anticipated. Open-weight models like those from DeepSeek or Mistral can be downloaded and run anywhere, offering flexibility that closed options such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini models—which are only accessible from the cloud—cannot match2

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The Economics of Open-Weight AI Models

The financial case for large firms plan higher open-weight AI use is compelling. According to the Capgemini study, open-weight tokens are on average 87% cheaper than closed ones1

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. Despite this dramatic cost advantage, the shift to open-weight models isn't absolute. Half of respondents indicated they would retain closed models where the complexity of the task warranted the additional cost3

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. Data from OpenRouter, a popular multi-AI provider, illustrates this dynamic clearly: open-weight models handled 72% of traffic in September but represented just 27% of AI spending2

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Industry Leaders Embrace Cost Efficiency

This trend toward control rising AI costs echoes recent moves by major technology companies. SAP's finance chief announced last month that the company was replacing some of its costliest AI models with cheaper alternatives where performance remained adequate1

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. Even Anthropic, which launched its IPO roadshow this week, acknowledged in its prospectus that customers may shift to cheaper options, including open-weight models2

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. These developments signal that cost efficiency has become a critical factor in enterprise AI strategy, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape between proprietary and open-weight model providers. As Capgemini helps companies embed AI into their existing platforms, the consulting firm is witnessing firsthand how budget pressures are accelerating this transition across multiple industries and geographies.