AIAC

AI Adoption Center

Ecosystem reference

AI Ecosystem

A reference model for the research, policy, model, and infrastructure layers surrounding practical AI adoption.

AI adoption depends on more than a model. Research institutions, standards bodies, policy organizations, model developers, cloud platforms, and operational tooling all shape what an organization can deploy and govern.

AIAC uses this reference model to help SMEs distinguish the broader ecosystem from the independently operated members listed in the Network. Ecosystem inclusion is descriptive and does not imply affiliation.

Research and policy

Institutions shaping the direction of AI

AI adoption is influenced by research labs, standards efforts, governance bodies, and public-interest organizations.

  • Research institutions and applied AI labs
  • Standards bodies and protocol initiatives
  • Public policy and governance organizations

Model providers

Companies building foundation models

Model providers supply the core systems that power generative AI applications, assistants, and agentic workflows.

  • General-purpose model developers
  • Domain-specific model vendors
  • Open-weight model communities

Infrastructure

Platforms that make AI systems deployable

Cloud providers, data platforms, and operational tooling enable secure, governed, and scalable AI adoption.

  • Cloud and compute providers
  • Vector, data, and orchestration systems
  • Observability and governance tooling