Skip to content
Institute for AI TransformationInstitute for AI Transformation

Companion guide · October 2026

NeoClouds 2026:
Buyer’s Guide

A GPU reservation is an operating decision.

Understand the market behind the Quadrant: capacity, reliability, financing, pricing and the controls your organization needs before it commits.

47 pages · Ten provider profiles · Research edition

Open the interactive Quadrant →
Institute for AI Transformation: NeoClouds 2026 Buyer’s Guide cover.
Two ways to use the research. The Quadrant is the interactive provider comparison. This guide supplies the analysis, evidence notes and buyer questions behind it.

Inside the publication

From market view to buying decision.

For infrastructure, AI, finance and procurement teams evaluating accelerated compute outside the hyperscalers.

  1. The market and the operating model

    What defines a NeoCloud, who buys capacity and how to read the balance sheet.

  2. Pricing, sovereignty and procurement risk

    Commercial terms, six dimensions of control, three buyer scenarios and the contract questions behind them.

  3. The Institute assessment

    Scope, weighted parameters, the Quadrant, provider indices and adjacent categories.

  4. Ten provider profiles

    Readiness, value, strengths, areas to examine and questions for your evaluation.

The question

How should a buyer compare specialist AI cloud operating models and evaluate the capacity, service responsibilities and commercial terms behind a purchase?

Three key takeaways

  • Buy an operating model, not only a GPU. Capacity, storage, networking and operational ownership must fit the intended workload.
  • Read the terms behind the price. Assess commitments, support, sovereignty and procurement risks alongside the headline rate.
  • Use the assessment to direct verification. Provider positions and profiles help frame questions; pending evidence still needs to be resolved before a buying decision.

Publication status and date

Provisional companion guide · October 2026 · 47 pages · Ten provider profiles. The intended readers and contents are listed above.

Evidence limitations

Provider briefings, customer evidence and specified verification remain pending. Read the source and confidence notes in the guide. This is not a verified guarantee of delivery capacity, compliance or measured performance for your workload.

The complete guide

Read the publication

Read the guide

Read the full report — free account required. Work-email verification or access review may be required. Your report destination is retained when you sign in; email subscriptions are optional.

Open the PDF to read the complete guide.

Read the buyer’s guide

Put the research to work

Compare the providers behind the findings.

Return to the interactive Quadrant to explore all ten positions, open profiles and compare a shortlist.

Explore the NeoClouds Quadrant