(
CAPital
EXpenditures) The cost of developing a product or system. OPEX (operating expenditures) are the ongoing costs for running it. For example, the purchase of a printer is the CAPEX, and the annual paper and ink cost is the OPEX. For larger systems, OPEX may also include the cost of human operators and facility expenses such as rent, electricity, heating and air conditioning.
With Regard to AI
AI training is one time CAPEX. Inference (execution) is recurring OPEX. See
AI training vs. inference.