2025 State of AI Cost Management Research Finds 85% of Companies Miss AI Forecasts by >10%

Despite rapid adoption, most enterprises lack visibility, forecasting accuracy, and margin control around AI investments. Hidden infrastructure costs are eroding enterprise profitability, according to newly published survey data.

AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As enterprises accelerate investments in AI infrastructure, a new report reveals a troubling financial reality: most organizations can't forecast what they're spending, or control how AI costs impact margins. According to the 2025 State of AI Cost Management, 80% of enterprises miss their AI infrastructure forecasts by more than 25%, and 84% report significant gross margin erosion tied to AI workloads.

The report, published by Benchmarkit in partnership with cost governance platform Mavvrik, reveals how AI adoption, across large language models (LLMs), GPU-based compute, and AI-native services, is outpacing cost governance. Most companies lack the visibility, attribution, and forecasting precision to understand where costs come from or how they affect margins.

"These numbers should rattle every finance leader. AI is no longer just experimental – it's hitting gross margins, and most companies can't even predict the impact," said Ray Rike, CEO of Benchmarkit. "Without financial governance, you're not scaling AI. You're gambling with profitability."

Top Findings from the 2025 State of AI Cost Management Report include:

AI costs are crushing enterprise margins

• 84% of companies see 6%+ gross margin erosion due to AI infrastructure costs
• 26% report margin impact of 16% or higher

The great AI repatriation has begun

• 67% are actively planning to repatriate AI workloads; another 19% are evaluating
• 61% already run hybrid AI infrastructure (public + private)
• Only 35% include on-prem AI costs in reporting, leaving major blind spots

Hidden cost surprises come from unexpected places

• Data platforms top source of unexpected AI spend (56%); LLMs rank 5th
• Network access costs is the second-largest cost surprise (52%)

AI forecasting is fundamentally broken

• 80% miss AI forecasts by 25%+
• 24% are off by 50% or more
• Only 15% forecast AI costs within 10% margin of error

Visibility gaps are stalling governance

• Lack of visibility is the #1 challenge in managing AI infrastructure costs
• 94% say they track costs, but only 34% have mature cost management
• Companies charging for AI show 2x greater cost maturity in attribution and cost discipline

Access the full report: The full report details how automation, cost attribution methods, and cloud repatriation strategies factor into AI cost discipline. To view the analysis, please visit: https://www.mavvrik.ai/state-of-ai-cost-governance-report/

"AI is blowing up the assumptions baked into budgets. What used to be predictable, is now elastic and expensive," said Sundeep Goel, CEO of Mavvrik. "This shift doesn't just affect IT, it's reshaping cost models, margin structures, and how companies scale. Enterprises are racing to build with AI, but when most can't explain the bill, it's no longer innovation, it's risk."

Why It Matters

AI isn't just a technology challenge, it's a financial one. From LLM APIs to GPU usage and data movement, infrastructure costs are scaling faster than most companies can track them. Without clear attribution across cloud and on-prem environments, leaders are making pricing, packaging, and investment decisions in the dark.

With AI spend becoming a significant line in COGS and gross margin targets under pressure, CFOs should be sounding the alarm. Yet most finance teams haven't prioritized governance.

About the State of AI Cost Management
The 2025 State of AI Cost Management report is based on survey results from 372 enterprise organizations across diverse industries and revenue tiers. It measures cost governance maturity, spanning forecast accuracy, infrastructure mix (cloud vs. on–prem), attribution capability, and gross margin impact. https://www.mavvrik.ai/.

About Mavvrik
Mavvrik is the financial control center for modern IT. By embedding financial governance at the source of every cost signal, Mavvrik provides enterprises with complete visibility and control across cloud, AI, SaaS, and on-prem infrastructure. Built for CFOs, FinOps, and IT leaders, Mavvrik eliminates financial blind spots and transforms IT costs into strategic investments. With real-time cost tracking, automated chargebacks, and predictive budget controls, Mavvrik helps enterprises reduce waste, govern AI and hybrid cloud spend, and maintain financial precision at scale. Visit www.mavvrik.ai to learn more.

Media Contact:
Rick Medeiros
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[email protected] 

SOURCE Mavvrik