TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The fourth annual Wasabi Global Cloud Storage Index explores how businesses allocate infrastructure and storage spending to support AI, the challenges organizations face when it comes to AI workload deployment, and the increasingly critical role cloud object storage plays in enabling cost-effective deployment of AI solutions at scale.

The Wasabi Cloud Storage Index, developed in collaboration with Vanson Bourne is a leading source of industry trends and IT decision-maker insights on cloud infrastructure and storage services. Based on global survey data from 1,700 business and IT respondents, including 250 respondents in Japan, the study has uncovered key findings over the past three years on buying behavior, user satisfaction, and the impact of hyperscaler fee structures on storage costs. This year’s research explores emerging challenges, including AI data storage complexity, data quality issues, cloud security concerns, and the critical service features and capabilities organizations rely on to keep their data secure and accessible.

Below are key insights uncovered this year among respondents in Japan:

Organizations are committed to AI infrastructure spending, and are allocating the majority of their budgets to data, storage, and compute – not software and SaaS

AI Infrastructure spend is a corporate priority: When asked about infrastructure budgets for AI, 0% of Japanese respondents and 3% of global respondents say they will lower spending. The majority (64% in Japan and 60% globally) say they plan to increase infrastructure budgets for AI projects, and 35% in Japan and 37% globally will maintain their existing budget.

AI budget allocations favor infrastructure, not software: Today, approximately two-thirds of AI budgets (67% in Japan and 66% globally) are allocated to the data, storage, and processing power needed to feed and run AI applications. Just 33% (both in Japan and globally) is allocated to AI software/SaaS solutions.

“When we look at revenue allocations at the highest level of the public cloud services market – the vast majority comes from software/SaaS, not infrastructure services (IaaS),” said Andrew Smith, director of strategy and market intelligence at Wasabi Technologies and a former IDC analyst. “But emerging AI workloads and initiatives are actually changing this dynamic. What’s fascinating to see within our survey results this year is how most AI budget allocation is going toward infrastructure, not SaaS. In other words, it’s the complete opposite of what we might expect from a traditional market standpoint, and it’s a great illustration of the critical role cloud storage and cloud infrastructure services play in this generational buildup of AI-enabled solutions and services.”

AI infrastructure spending continues to rise, driving considerations for hybrid storage adoption

Many organizations turn to hybrid storage deployments to meet AI needs: 61% of Japanese respondents and 64% of global respondents say they deploy hybrid storage solutions (i.e., a mix of on-prem and public cloud) to support their AI workflows. An indication of the flexibility and potential complexity that organizations are dealing with when it comes to managing AI-related projects and data across multiple environments. Interestingly, respondents identified two AI workflow areas where they prefer to use public cloud storage, specifically. Those workflow steps are data retrieval/ingest and aggregation and model retention and archiving. In other words, public cloud storage is often used to bookend an organization’s AI data pipeline.

"As organizations scale AI initiatives, they face mounting data storage and data quality challenges that can quickly erode ROI if not managed effectively," said Dave Friend, founder and CEO at Wasabi Technologies. "Cost-efficient, reliable storage is essential to ensure high-quality data is readily available for AI models, enabling better outcomes without unsustainable infrastructure costs. This drives home the need for affordable, secure, high-performance cloud storage so budgets stay in line with expectations, and data remains secure and accessible.”

Cloud storage fees and budget overruns persist

The fee problem: For the fourth year in a row, the Cloud Storage Index explored the impact of fees on cloud storage billing. Unfortunately, the status quo remains unchanged. Similar to previous years, 51% of user spending in Japan (50% globally) is allocated to storage fees, not storage capacity.

Complex fee structures equate to budget overruns: One of the results of this fee-heavy pricing structure is budget excess. This year, 49% of respondents globally and in Japan say they exceeded budgeted spending for cloud storage in 2025. Budget overruns are driven by a combination of increased storage usage, data growth, and cloud application migration; compounded by storage fees. Most respondents (93% in Japan and 91% globally) cited at least one fee-related reason why their spending on public cloud storage exceeded budget expectations.

Cloud data protection and security remain significant market concerns, and cloud storage services providers have a major role to play in helping users keep their data safe and accessible

High prevalence of disruption due to cyberattacks: This year’s survey findings show 42% of Japanese respondents and 44% of global respondents have experienced a cyberattack resulting in loss of access to public cloud data.

An emerging cloud data security gap: Perhaps as a result of this high rate of cyberattack and disruption, 46% of respondents in Japan and 41% globally also said their public cloud vendor does not provide the necessary tools/features needed to mitigate against cyberattack. This is a critical finding in the 2026 Cloud Storage Index, and sheds light on an important market need.

Download the 2026 Wasabi Cloud Storage Index Japan Executive Summary Report from Wasabi to learn more here.

Methodology

Wasabi commissioned independent market research agency Vanson Bourne to conduct research into cloud storage. The study surveyed C-level leadership and managers who had at least some involvement in or responsibility for public cloud storage purchases in their organization at businesses across Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK, the United States and Singapore. The research took place in November and December 2025 and included organizations with more than 100 employees across all public and private sectors. All interviews were conducted using a rigorous multi-level screening process to ensure that only suitable candidates were given the opportunity to participate.

About Wasabi Technologies

Recognized as one of the technology industry’s fastest growing companies, Wasabi is on a mission to store the world's data by making cloud storage affordable, predictable and secure. With Wasabi, visionary companies gain the freedom to use their data whenever they like without being hit with unpredictable fees or vendor lock-in. Instead, they’re free to build best-of-breed solutions with the industry’s fastest-growing ecosystem of independent cloud application partners. Customers and partners in over 100 countries trust Wasabi to help them put their data to work so they can unlock their full potential. Visit wasabi.com to learn more.

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Source: Wasabi Technologies