Infrastructure

Cloud Computing

Renting powerful computers over the internet instead of buying and keeping them in your own office.

Definition

The delivery of computing resources such as servers, storage, databases, and AI services over the internet on a pay-as-you-go basis. Providers including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud own and maintain the physical hardware, while customers rent capacity on demand and scale it up or down in minutes. Models range from raw infrastructure to fully managed platforms and software.

Why it matters

Cloud computing removed the biggest barrier to AI: access to expensive compute. A startup can now rent supercomputer-grade GPUs by the hour instead of spending millions upfront, which is why nearly all modern AI training and deployment happens in the cloud.

Related terms in Infrastructure

API

A digital plug or messenger that lets two different software programs talk to each other.

API Gateway

The security guard at the front door of your software that checks IDs and directs traffic.

Edge AI

Running AI directly on the device (phone, camera, car) instead of sending data to the cloud, faster and more private.

Feature Store

A centralized library where pre-computed data features are stored and shared across teams and models.

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