The Economics of Deploying Large Language Models C
Every tech leader who saw ChatGPT explode asked: What will a production-grade large language model (LLM) really cost us? The short answer: far more than the API bill. But smart design can cut costs by 90%. GPUs sit idle during cold starts, engineers wrestle with fine-tuning, and network egress lurks. Meta’s Llama 4, launched in April 2025, offers multimodal models—Scout, Maverick, and the previewed Behemoth—handling text, images, and video. This article unpacks LLM costs, compares top models, weighs hiring experts versus APIs, and shares a hypothetical fintech’s journey from $937,500 to $3,000 monthly.