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#dbd9aa73
Topic
INFRA & SAAS
Source
trends_vc
Published
2026-05-13 22:12:11
Importance
★ 5/10 — radar 50
AI Gateways Turn Model Choice Into Infrastructure
FIG-4121:1

AI Gateways Turn Model Choice Into Infrastructure

Routing is becoming its own layer above model APIs. OpenRouter scale shows provider lock-in is weakening, but this is more strategy signal than immediate tooling change.

[ KEY POINTS ]
  1. OpenRouter handles 20T+ tokens per week; no single provider owns over 23% of volume, so demand is already multi-model.
  2. Gateways add switching, routing, and caching above APIs. The moat shifts from model access to traffic control and cache hit rate.
  3. Vertical gateways are the practical angle: wrappers for coding, support, agents, or media can optimize cost and reliability per workflow.
  4. Hyperscaler bundling is the counter-pressure. Standalone gateway margins get squeezed if cloud platforms bundle routing into existing infra.
Originaltrends.vc/ai-gateways-cache-as-moat-vertical-gateways-hyperscaler-bundling/Read original →

// related