The case for structured outputs in production AI
Most production AI systems parse prose from LLMs instead of requesting structured JSON, and the cost and reliability gap this creates is larger than expected.
AI EngineeringProduction AICost OptimizationArchitecture
Reading an LLM bill: line items that actually matter
Most LLM bills get scanned for total cost. Seven line items carry the real signal. A 5-minute monthly review that turns the bill into a diagnostic.
Cost OptimizationAI Operations
Caching strategies for LLM applications
LLM responses are expensive, slow, and often repeated. Here is how to cache them without building a system that silently returns stale answers.
LLMCachingPerformanceCost Optimization
Why Your AI Gets More Expensive Over Time (And How to Reverse It)
Three months after launch, one company's AI bill tripled. Distillation, prompt compression, and model routing can cut inference costs 50-80%.
Cost OptimizationAI OperationsIntelligent Distillation
AI Implementation Costs in 2026: What Companies Actually Spend
A weekend AI prototype cost $47. The production version cost $180,000. Here is what companies actually spend, and where they overspend.
Cost OptimizationAI Strategy