SHI joins Tokenomics Foundation as Founding Member

SHI has joined the Tokenomics Foundation as a founding member. The group is part of the Linux Foundation.

The move makes SHI one of the early members of an industry body focused on standards and best practice for the economics of artificial intelligence infrastructure. The foundation is developing frameworks to help organisations track the cost and value of AI systems as use of generative AI and agentic tools expands.

Businesses are under growing pressure to show returns on AI spending while keeping control of usage, governance and operating costs. That has led to closer scrutiny of how computing resources are used and whether AI deployments are delivering measurable business value.

The Tokenomics Foundation was set up to advance open collaboration around token production, token consumption and AI value management. Its work draws on FinOps principles, linking product design, engineering, finance, operations and governance through a shared understanding of AI cost and value.

For SHI, the membership extends an existing role in adjacent areas of technology cost management. It is also a Premier member of the FinOps Foundation, which is also hosted by the Linux Foundation.

SHI said it would work with other members to help define frameworks and best practices for organisations adopting and scaling AI. The effort is intended to improve how AI-generated value is measured, distributed and governed.

One issue for companies deploying AI is that consumption-based pricing can make spending difficult to predict. As use spreads across departments, executives often face questions about whether systems are delivering enough value to justify the cost, especially when oversight is split across technical, financial and operational teams.

Shane Cronin outlined SHI's view of that shift. "As organizations move from experimenting with AI to operating it at scale, the ability to understand how token consumption drives cost, efficiency, and business value is becoming critical," said Shane Cronin, Head of FinOps & ITAM Services, SHI.

"SHI has long believed that strong governance requires collaboration across the disciplines of IT Asset Management, FinOps, and now AI economics. We are committed to helping shape the industry standards, frameworks, and best practices organizations need to manage technology and AI investments with confidence. Joining the Tokenomics Foundation strengthens our ability to help customers turn AI adoption into measurable business outcomes while contributing to the evolution of this rapidly emerging discipline," said Cronin.

Industry standards

The foundation's backers argue that common methods are needed because organisations often lack a consistent way to measure value from AI spending. That challenge has become more acute as AI tools move beyond pilots into broader operational use.

J.R. Storment, Executive Director of the Tokenomics Foundation, said SHI would add practical experience to the group's work. "SHI has established itself as a key voice and member across the technology value community, including the FinOps Foundation, ITAM Forum, and now Tokenomics Foundation," said J.R. Storment, Executive Director, Tokenomics Foundation.

"SHI brings a depth of customer and practitioner experience to the table. As organizations work to measure value from AI spend, Tokenomics Foundation gives them a neutral, community-built discipline to do it, and we look forward to the insight SHI will add as we define AI value management together," said Storment.

SHI describes itself as a USD $16 billion technology solutions provider serving more than 17,000 corporate, public sector and academic customers worldwide. The business employs more than 7,000 people.

Its entry into the foundation reflects a wider effort across the technology sector to create AI governance models more closely tied to spending discipline. As companies seek to move from experimentation to routine use, industry groups are trying to establish shared definitions and measurement standards that can be applied across suppliers, customers and internal teams.

That work is likely to shape how organisations assess the financial case for AI projects, especially where usage is measured in tokens and infrastructure costs can shift rapidly with demand. The Tokenomics Foundation's central aim is to build common frameworks and best practice that support responsible, efficient and business-aligned AI adoption.