AI CostGuard provides a comprehensive platform for AI-first startups to manage and optimize their usage-based infrastructure costs while simultaneously bolstering their AI-specific security posture. It addresses the “shifted AI value chain” by offering real-time cost analytics for GPU usage, data processing, and API calls, coupled with advanced security features like secure credential management for AI services, data access controls for model training data, and anomaly detection for potential model tampering or data exfiltration. This helps AI founders build sustainable businesses by controlling spiraling costs and mitigating the “billion-dollar security threat” unique to AI deployments.