Artificial intelligence is no longer simply influencing cloud strategies considering it’s reshaping the foundations of enterprise IT. In 2025, as the adoption of AI systems accelerates, organizations are experiencing profound impacts: cloud budgets are expanding rapidly, hybrid architectures are evolving, and new AI-driven tools are assuming critical cloud management and monitoring tasks.
At Wanclouds, we recently surveyed 500 U.S. IT leaders, and according to the data, the demands of AI are pushing cloud budgets far beyond recent annual thresholds when cloud spending was tapering rather than increasing. Moreover, the need to house AI workloads is accelerating the adoption of hybrid and private clouds while introducing entirely new tools for managing complexity. Nearly 9 in 10 IT decision-makers we polled say their cloud spending is expected to rise in 2025, and they cite AI as the top reason. Considering leaders have been racing to deploy high-performance infrastructure for training and running models, it makes sense that they are also leaning on new AI solutions to simplify management and reduce waste.
From budget planning to automation, the cloud has shifted from a destination for workloads to a dynamic component of innovation. What we’re seeing is a rapid convergence of cloud and AI: two previously separate spheres that are now fundamentally intertwined. With that said, here are three key ways I believe AI will transform the future of cloud management.
AI Is Fueling a Cloud Spending Surge—and Reshaping Budgets
Just two years ago, companies hesitated to invest further in the cloud amid economic uncertainty, but that trend has since reversed. To underscore this trend, consider that our survey found that nearly nine in ten IT leaders expect to grow their cloud budgets next year, and 81% of those increases are directly tied to AI needs.
Why? AI workloads require significant compute power, especially when utilizing today’s most advanced models and GPUs, such as NVIDIA’s A100 or H100. The cloud offers the flexibility to scale rapidly and access cutting-edge hardware without the need for upfront capital expenditure, making it the obvious choice for many enterprises. However, that flexibility comes at a cost. As workloads run continuously and expand in size, cloud bills can quickly rival— or even exceed —on-premise infrastructure costs. As such, IT leaders are now seeking to strike the right balance between agility and affordability.
Through new AI capabilities, cloud computing can offer its users a more compelling experience, prompting IT leaders to explore more innovative ways to manage their cloud usage.
Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Strategies Are Becoming AI-Driven
Cloud strategies are increasingly being shaped by artificial intelligence, moving beyond traditional considerations like cost and availability. In fact, our survey revealed that 84% of IT leaders are now pursuing hybrid or multi-cloud architectures. However, these aren’t just insurance policies against vendor lock-in. Instead, they’re being used to build customized environments where AI workloads can be trained, tested, and deployed across the most suitable platforms.
Public clouds offer scalability and access to premium GPUs. Private clouds, meanwhile, provide greater control over data and customization of infrastructure. 52% of respondents said they are now prioritizing private clouds for the majority of their AI workloads, which is double the number that prefer public clouds for this purpose.
This shift reflects a strategic realignment that shows AI requires not just robust infrastructure, but the right kind of infrastructure. With data privacy, performance, and cost all in play, IT teams are increasingly architecting cloud environments that are adaptable and optimized for specific AI initiatives.
The removal of data egress fees by major public cloud providers in 2024 has also lowered the barrier to moving AI workloads between clouds. Now, enterprises can freely migrate models wherever the performance or pricing is most advantageous, opening up new possibilities for how AI models are trained and deployed.
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AI Is Now Managing the Cloud, Not Just Running on It
While AI is placing new demands on cloud infrastructure, it’s also offering new ways to manage that complexity. Sixty-one percent of IT leaders in our survey report that they are already utilizing AI to manage their cloud environments, while another 34% are in the testing or early implementation phases. This growing adoption reflects a shift in how IT teams approach operations: rather than managing workloads manually, they are turning to AI tools that can automate routine tasks, detect anomalies, and even suggest optimizations.
AI-powered virtual assistants and chatbots are also among the most desired tools, according to our data. With platforms and tools now widely available, startups and small businesses alike can build powerful AI chatbots that rival those of billion-dollar companies. According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2025, 79% of business leaders are prioritizing the expansion of chatbots and AI this year. Why? Chatbots provide always-on support, personalization, and automation at scale without incurring significant costs.
Moreover, these AI assistants and AI monitoring agents help reduce manual effort, speed up decision-making, and surface real-time insights, freeing up IT leaders to focus on strategy rather than troubleshooting. What’s more, IT leaders are optimistic about how quickly AI will deliver value, considering two-thirds expect measurable results within the first year of implementation. Nearly 10% anticipate a return on investment (ROI) in three months or less. As these tools mature, we expect that AI will play an increasingly proactive role in cloud management.
The Future of Enterprise IT
In today’s landscape, the cloud is evolving into a dynamic operating system for AI-driven enterprises, and AI itself is becoming the engine that navigates its growing complexity. Organizations that successfully leverage AI to manage, scale, and optimize their cloud environments will be positioned to lead the next era of digital transformation. Those that lag may find themselves overwhelmed by costs, complexity, and competition. The convergence of AI and cloud is not a future trend; it’s a present-day imperative.
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A brief author bio:
Faiz Khan is the Founder and CEO of Wanclouds, a leading multi-cloud SaaS solution and managed service provider. Wanclouds is an AWS, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud partner. Before founding Wanclouds, Faiz was an executive at Cisco and played multiple technology leadership roles. Most notably, he led the global cloud automation and orchestration organization. Before that, he built the worldwide data center and cloud practice and was the GM for emerging markets technology practices. Faiz has an MBA in Computer Information Systems from Colorado State University.
