Developing a go-to-market strategy and a first-of-its-kind business case for an Asian telecoms operator’s entry into the GPUaaS market

“Drawing on our deep expertise, our client won board approval and, in turn, drove the launch of a first‑of‑its‑kind B2B offering in the country.”  

– Rohan Dhamija, Partner, Analysys Mason

The challenge

An integrated telecoms operator needed a business plan for expanding into the GPU-as-a-service market 

Our client, a major integrated telecoms operator in Asia, was looking to expand into adjacent growth markets. Existing data centres had supported initial expansion, but our client was seeking further guidance on how to enter the graphics-processing-unit-as-a-service (GPUaaS) market. The objective was to meet local demand for inferencing fuelled by the ongoing AI boom. The strategy also explored the viability of operating as a hub for global AI training. We developed a full go-to-market strategy and supporting business case to map the market entry and investment profile, secure board approval and prepare for a successful launch.

Our approach 

We used proprietary country- and topic-specific knowledge to design a full go-to-market strategy

We undertook detailed analysis of market sizing, customer segmentation, pricing, ways to play and right to win. We then synthesised these elements into a clear go-to-market strategy underpinned by a comprehensive business case.

Figure 1: Two distinct drivers of GPUaaS demand – training and inference

The impact

We helped our client define a clear entry strategy, which supported a successful launch

We helped our client define a clear entry strategy supported by a business case delivering over 50% earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), and an internal rate of return (IRR) exceeding 25%. We provided a clear list of success parameters, including target customer segments, pricing strategy for each segment, overall investment profile and ways to play in order to win in this market.

The business plan was approved by our client’s Board of Directors and subsequently led to a successful launch.