ACM Technology Policy Council Releases "TechBrief: Buy Versus Build an LLM"

March 5, 2025

ACM's Technology Policy Council (TPC) has released the latest installment in the TechBriefs series,"TechBrief: Buy Versus Build an LLM." Governments have multiple pathways for acquiring LLMs. In practice, they may first buy model access for rapid deployment while investing in talent and infrastructure for a future build, treating buy and build as actions taken across different time frames.

The TechBrief examines the trade-offs governments face when deciding whether to build AI systems domestically or procure them externally, and provides a strategic framework for making decisions by evaluating options across dimensions including sovereignty, safety, cost, resource capability, cultural fit, and sustainability.

 ACM’s TechBriefs are designed to complement ACM’s activities in the policy arena and to inform policymakers, the public, and others about the nature and implications of information technologies. Previous ACM TechBriefs focused on automated speech recognition, governmental digital transformation, accessibility, generative artificial intelligence, and climate change among others.