Shark Week: The Great AI Predator Map

This article argues that the enterprise AI market is best understood as an architecture map rather than a vendor ranking. It examines how companies like Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Mistral, NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, Dell, HPE, Cisco, Lenovo, Supermicro, Arista, and Broadcom compete for control points spanning user workflows, model distribution, inference runtimes, private infrastructure, network fabrics, and accelerator economics. The key insight is that organizations buy a chain of dependencies, not isolated products. The article provides a practical framework for architects to evaluate control points and avoid lock-in across six layers: SaaS platforms, model providers, inference platforms, infrastructure vendors, networking, and silicon. It highlights overlapping competition, partnerships, and brutal rivalry, offering a strategic lens for enterprise AI decision-making.