Oracle says customers will pay for the AI work done in its business software, on top of their subscriptions. Bills could rise as AI use grows.
Oracle plans to charge for the work its AI does inside its business software, not only for the number of people using it. An Oracle executive said so at the company's investor day on Wednesday. The usage charges would sit on top of existing subscriptions.
Software is usually sold per seat, meaning a fee for each person with a login. Oracle wants to add a second meter. Customers will use "AI units" as AI completes tasks for them. Chris Leone, an executive vice president of application development, put it this way: "The more work that gets done by AI in our system, the more revenue we will see." He added that Oracle does not need to add seats to earn more.
Earlier this month, Oracle revealed Fusion Claw. It is a runtime, a layer of software that runs and controls AI agents, which are programs that carry out business tasks on their own. It targets finance, supply chain and related work in Oracle's cloud-based Fusion applications. Leone said it will also automate work done outside Fusion.
Oracle is spending heavily on the data centers behind AI. It spent $55.7 billion on data centers and cloud infrastructure in the fiscal year that ended in May. It plans to spend $90 billion to $95 billion in fiscal 2027.
That means more borrowing. Oracle hopes to raise about $40 billion in debt and equity in 2027, after raising $18 billion in debt in September 2025. It expects $225 billion in revenue in fiscal 2030 and positive cash flow by the second half of fiscal 2028. Investors reacted positively.
Co-CEO Mike Sicilia said Oracle will also use AI to install its software. He argued this will cut the time and cost of moving customers from their own servers to Oracle's cloud, including customers of rival vendors. He said such moves bring a multiple increase in revenue.
The material does not say what an AI unit costs, how units are counted or whether customers can cap their use. If your business runs on Oracle software, ask before switching AI features on:
If your company uses Oracle software, get AI unit pricing and spending caps in writing before turning on any AI features.
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