Gartner says open-weight models can run 90% of enterprise agent workflow steps at a fraction of frontier cost
The analyst note puts open models at a quarter of the cheapest closed model and as little as a twentieth of a frontier model, but concedes real per-task savings are closer to five or six times.
Why it matters
Gartner analysts Mark Petty and Raymond Paquet argue that nine in ten agent workflow steps are routine tasks such as classification, tool calling and data validation, which open-weight models handle at parity. Their planning assumption is that by 2030, 90% of enterprise operational agent workflow steps will run on open-weight models. They frame keeping workflow data inside the company as the main reason, with cost a bonus. For frontier labs selling API access, the note implies revenue concentrating in the hardest tenth of steps; watch whether enterprises shift workloads.
Key facts
- Report: "Open-Weight Models Will Run 90% of Enterprise Agentic Workflow Steps"
- Authors: Mark Petty and Raymond Paquet
- Open model at a quarter of the cheapest closed model's price
- Real per-task saving closer to five or six times