Grants for data infrastructure cover the acquisition of servers, data storage, network components, backup solutions and related software. Providers do recognise such expenditure, but they require a justification for why the company needs its own infrastructure instead of cloud services – the reason tends to be data sensitivity, processing volume, a response-time requirement in production, or a regulatory obligation. Without this explanation, the item tends to be cut as disproportionate. Infrastructure is a long-term asset, so there is an obligation to keep it within the project and at the place of implementation for the whole durability period. The decision also needs to factor in the operating costs of energy, administration and renewal, which the company bears alone after the support period ends. When comparing with the cloud, therefore, the total cost over several years is calculated, not just the acquisition price of the equipment. This is exactly the argument the provider requires to be substantiated.
See also: Grant-funded AI hardware, Cloud services in a project, Data Warehouse.
