GPU-as-a-Service Is Heating Up: How CoreWeave Delivers 30–50% Lower Costs
2024–2025 saw major deals in GPU-as-a-Service space. OpenAI’s deal with CoreWeave was one; another was Amazon’s $4 B investment in Anthropic (OpenAI rival) which bound Anthropic to primarily use AWS for training and even integrate Amazon’s own AI chips. Some recent moves:
Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen a surge in inbound interest from clients—ranging from hedge funds to AI infrastructure teams—wanting to understand CoreWeave’s position in the GPU-as-a-Service landscape.
As CoreWeave prepares to release its Q1 2025 earnings on May 14, market attention is shifting from curiosity to conviction. The company went public on March 28, 2025, listing on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol CRWV. The IPO raised $1.5 billion by offering 37.5 million shares at $40 each, resulting in an implied valuation of approximately $23 billion and a multi-billion-dollar compute deal with OpenAI already inked, CoreWeave is emerging as one of the most closely watched companies in the generative AI infrastructure ecosystem.
The question is no longer “What is CoreWeave?” but “Where do hyperscalers fall short—and CoreWeave wins?” Clients evaluating high-throughput workloads are starting to recognize that general-purpose clouds aren’t always the best fit for specialized AI needs. For many investors and operators alike, CoreWeave’s combination of NVIDIA-first supply access, AI-native infrastructure, and pricing that undercuts hyperscalers is raising a bigger question: Is GPU cloud the next great infrastructure opportunity—and is CoreWeave the purest way to play it?
According to recent KPMG report on GPU investment, the result consists of a survey of 120 highnet-worth individuals (HNWIs) and investment professionals – indicated that a significant cohort of market participants have already gained exposure to the GPU market (78% of those surveyed).
It appears the KPMG survey didn’t include a distinct “GPU-as-a-Service” category, but the rising interest in GPU infrastructure funds, direct GPU manufacturers, and AI companies reliant on GPU tech suggests that investors are actively circling this space. In many ways, GPUaaS is still flying under the radar as a formal asset class—but for early movers, that’s exactly where the opportunity lies.
Per KPMG, GPU focused ETFs are the preferred vehicle of choice, with 71% of advisers and 62% of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) investing in them in recent years.
In this article, we will review:
Understanding the GPU Market Landscape
Defining GPU-as-a-Service (GPUaaS)
Current GPUaaS Market % split by Use Caes: AI training, inference, cloud gaming, media/visual effects
Market Players: Who’s Powering the GPU Cloud?
CoreWeave vs Hyperscalers: Who Wins When?
Inside CoreWeave’s Moat: Why it Isn’t Just Another GPU Provider
Breakdown of how CoreWeave stacks up against Lambda Labs and major Hyperscalers
What is CoreWeave’s LOTA? Does it really matter in Training vs. Inference?
Pricing: Simple, Transparent, and Built for AI
Case Studies: Strategic Choices in the Real World
OpenAI’s multi-billion dollar deal with CoreWeave
Cohere’s selection of CoreWeave for next-gen LLM infrastructure
xAI’s transition from cloud to custom GPU data center buildout
Please note: The insights presented in this article are derived from confidential consultations our team has conducted with clients across private equity, hedge funds, startups, and investment banks, facilitated through specialized expert networks. Due to our agreements with these networks, we cannot reveal specific names from these discussions. Therefore, we offer a summarized version of these insights, ensuring valuable content while upholding our confidentiality commitments.
Understanding the GPU Market Landscape
The Global GPU market is estimated at around $87B in 2025, and expected to hit $365B by 2030, at a CAGR of over 33% . Moreover the report mentions a substantial shift toward GPU as a service model.