Big‑T Notation: Engineering for Token Efficiency in the Age of Enterprise AI - Dan Neff, Brian Scott

Why Cost, Scale, and Architecture Matter More Than Model BrillianceAI is revolutionizing enterprise work, yet many orgs struggle with the complex economic factors underpinning it. As workloads intensify and expand, the expense associated with leveraging advanced AI models escalates quickly. As AI becomes a staple in everyday operations, token consumption is outpacing the capabilities of traditional architectures, straining existing systems. This session will unveil Big‑T Notation, a pragmatic framework designed to equip engineers and decision-makers with a fresh perspective on token management. By positioning tokens as the fundamental metric for both cost control and scalability, the talk draws upon established engineering principles to clarify the role tokens play within AI ecosystems. Attendees will explore how choices in model selection and prompt design directly influence financial outcomes, and discover how mechanisms like credit-based pricing can obscure genuine opportunities for system optimization. The audience will leave with a framework for assessing their AI workloads, actionable methods to boost token efficiency, and practical advice for building resilient architectures that support sustainable growth. Ultimately, the session aims to empower organizations to make strategic, cost-effective decisions, ensuring they scale responsibly and unlock maximum value from their AI investments as the technology continues to accelerate. Key takeaways: Tokens are the true currency of enterprise AI. Efficiency is intentional. Model choice is an architectural decision. Prompt structure impacts cost as much as model selection. Caching is a design principle. Opaque abstractions hide cost and block meaningful optimization.10x organizations won’t use fewer AI tokens, they’ll use them better. PRESENTED BY Dan Neff — Senior Principal Cloud Architect, Adobe Brian Scott — Cloud Engineering Leadership, Adobe CHAPTERS 0:00 Introduction 1:00 The Token Cost Problem 4:02 Big-T Notation Framework 5:56 Code as Cache Layer 9:14 Model Routing and Prompt Structure 11:53 Token Caching and Vendor Transparency 14:08 Layered Efficiency Stack 17:51 Key Takeaways LINKS 📊 Slides: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dev... 🎥 Watch in the IT Revolution Video Library: https://videos.itrevolution.com/watch... ABOUT THE EVENT Enterprise AI Summit: Spring 2026 April 9-10, 2026 ABOUT IT REVOLUTION IT Revolution helps technology leaders succeed through books, research, and events. Subscribe for talks from the best technology leaders in the world. → https://itrevolution.com #TokenEfficiency #EnterpriseAI #AIGovernance