The Definitive Guide toAI Data Centers
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GuideGlossaryTCO

TCO · Total Cost of Ownership

The full lifetime cost of capacity, including capex amortization, power, cooling, staff and maintenance.

Current numbers

~$38B / ~$8.5B/yr1 GW AI data center: ~$38B up-front capex (servers ~$21.2/W incl. GPUs · facility ~$11.4/W · network ~$4.9/W, Epoch May-2026) and ~$8.5B/yr all-in TCOas of 2026-05 · register ↗
2–3 vs 5–6 yrGPU economic vs book life — CONTESTED; ~70% swing in 1 GW annual TCO from this one assumptionas of 2026 · register ↗
~15–30%AMD price discount vs comparable NVIDIA SXM; inference effective-TCO gap → ~0/favorableas of 2025-2026 · register ↗

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