What Happened at FinOps X 2025?

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FinOps X
FinOps X All Cloud Announcements Here:

Japan was great, but man, I hate missing FinOps X 2025. Anyway, here I’m to bring you what the conference’s important updates from major cloud providers about their latest tools and features.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) introduced:

  • A new Q tool for cost optimization that uses AI to give spending recommendations

  • Better analysis tools for Aurora databases

  • Updates to Cost Explorer to spot big cost changes

  • An improved pricing calculator

  • A new version of CUDOS dashboard with better tracking features

Microsoft shared:

  • New AI tools in GitHub Copilot to help update apps faster

  • AI Foundry Agent Service to make business tasks automatic

  • Fresh guidance on how to update apps cost-effectively

  • New ways to plan AI costs through reservations

Google Cloud revealed:

  • A new billing system that works with FOCUS standards

  • Better cost forecasting using AI

  • FinOps Hub 2.0 with AI help to find wasted resources

Oracle Cloud showed off:

  • New tools to track carbon emissions

  • Systems to spot unusual spending patterns

  • Better ways to sort and track costs

AI really drove all the moves. We are in a revolution in the ecosystem and this FinOps X edition was a reflect of it.

 

Together with Finout
The Move That Changed Alchemy’s FinOps Game

Alchemy—one of the leading platforms powering the blockchain ecosystem—was drowning in cloud cost complexity: manual reporting, limited visibility, and no alignment between engineering and finance.

Then they found Finout.

In this quick video case study—part of the Finout and AWS Better Together series—you’ll see how Alchemy replaced its black-box cost system with a powerful FinOps tool that delivers real visibility, automated allocation, and actionable insights teams actually use.

 

FOCUS
FOCUS 1.2: Unified Cloud Billing Overhaul

The AWS Pricing Calculator is now available in the AWS console, helping users create accurate cost estimates. It offers two types of estimates: one for specific tasks and another for the entire AWS bill.

Users can use past data or create new scenarios to improve their estimates. The calculator includes three pricing views, including one that considers discounts and commitments, to help users understand how these affect total costs.

Users can also export estimates in CSV and JSON formats, which include detailed cost information. This updated calculator is available in all AWS commercial regions, except China.

 

Presented by Finout
AI: The Next FinOps Frontier

Just back from FinOps X in San Diego? So are we.
Between packed keynotes and nonstop hallway conversations, one thing was clear: AI is rewriting the FinOps playbook—from new spend patterns to smarter, faster automation.

But how do you actually manage and optimize AI costs?

Finout is already there.

We broke down the most talked-about challenges: real-time tracking, allocation beyond GPUs, and where traditional FinOps starts to fall short.

Whether you caught us in San Diego or not, now’s the time to see Finout in action.

Book a demo and find out how Finout can upgrade your FinOps practice.

 

FinOps for AI
FinOps For AI Certification Launch

The FinOps Foundation has created a new certification program to help professionals manage AI costs and value.

The certification will cost $500 and roll out in stages:

  • Introduction is available now

  • Level 1 starts in September

  • Level 2 begins in November

  • Level 3 launches in January 2026

The program takes this step-by-step approach because AI technology changes so fast. A complete course made today would be outdated quickly.The training focuses on important areas like:

How to track AI spending
Methods to make AI work better
Understanding value per customer
Ways to assign costs to different departments

Stacy Case, who leads professional development at FinOps Foundation, says they start with teaching basics like data collection. This creates a strong foundation before moving to more complex topics.

This certification aims to help professionals stay current with AI financial management as the technology continues to grow, with Gartner predicting $644 billion in AI spending by 2025.

 

FINOPS EVENTS
Expert MasterClass: FinOps Tagging & Governance

Learn how to create tagging & naming conventions for your AWS, GCP & Azure. Get control of your company Cloud resources and reduce your bill.

With Alfonso San Miguel, Author of Efficient Cloud FinOps book. The best expert we can find on FinOps Governance, to teach you.

See you the 17th June - 6:00 PM CEST

 

FinOps
Maximize Cloud Cost-Efficiency with 18 FinOps Tips

This article shares 18 real-world tips to reduce cloud costs based on actual experiences with Google Cloud Platform (GCP).

Infrastructure Tips

Turn off virtual machines when not in use
Move old data to cheaper storage options
Set up automatic shutdown for development environments during off-hours

Data Management Tips

Organize database tables better to reduce query costs
Clean up scheduled database jobs that aren't needed
Use data compression when moving files

Security Tips

Filter out unnecessary system logs
Close security gaps in test environments
Customize security rules to avoid blocking good traffic

The article shows how small changes can lead to big savings:

One company saved 60% on storage costs
Several saved hundreds of dollars per month
Another reduced their daily costs from $200 to $70

 

📺️ PODCAST
How DevOps Should Use Open Source for FinOps with the Creator of Azure Cost CLI

In this episode we sit down with Michiel van Oudheusden, creator of the open-source Azure Cost CLI, to explore how developers can take control of cloud spending using powerful tools and FinOps best practices.

 

🎖️ MENTION OF HONOUR
Cut Kubernetes Costs: Use Amazon EC2 Spot with Karpenter

This article explains how to reduce costs when running Kubernetes clusters by using Amazon EC2 Spot Instances and Karpenter. You can save up to 90% on computing costs by using Spot Instances compared to regular On-Demand instances. Karpenter helps by:

  • Watching for new pods that need space to run

  • Automatically adding the right sized servers when needed

  • Removing unused servers to save money

  • Supporting both regular and Spot instances

The article provides a step-by-step guide to:

  1. Set up a development environment

  2. Create a Kubernetes cluster

  3. Configure Karpenter

  4. Deploy applications that use Spot instances

  5. Make applications run across multiple data centers for better reliability

A key tip is to let Karpenter choose from many different server types. This helps find available capacity and get the best prices.

 

Professional Spotlight
Ed Moran

Helping before “FinOps”

A great supporter of the FinOps Weekly initiative, Ed has been always sharing good content and it’s a pity I couldn’t met him on FinOps X. With people like him I learnt that vendors have amazing contributors inside their teams!

Join the FinOps Weekly
Slack Community

With +250 members, we are creating a thriving FinOps community and we are looking forward to have you with us!

An open space for making FinOps for Everyone a reality

 

That’s all for this week. See you next Sunday!

Before You Go, Here’s How We Can Collaborate

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