🇿🇦 English, 20 October 2026, Cloud Storage Costs
Cloud Storage Fees Threaten AI ROI
Fees associated with cloud data storage are pushing costs over budget and threatening the return on investment for AI initiatives.
According to the Wasabi 2026 Global Cloud Storage Index, 50% of respondents’ billing is allocated to storage-related fees, while only 49% is allocated to actual storage capacity. API call fees, data operations fees, data retrieval fees, and deletion fees are adding up to big headaches for IT decision-makers.
Forty-nine percent of organisations said they exceeded budgeted spending for cloud storage in 2025, with 91% citing fees as a reason for exceeding budget expectations.
The report highlights the need for organisations to manage data storage and quality effectively to avoid eroding AI ROI as they scale AI initiatives.