Coinbase says it has cut its AI spending by nearly 50% and is now testing open-weight models by default, a move that signals the largest U.S. crypto exchange is rethinking how it builds and deploys internal AI tools. The claim surfaced through Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong’s public statements on X and was further detailed in a Coinbase blog post titled “Building a Leaner and Faster Coinbase.” Business Insider also reported on the cost-savings strategy, framing it around token-level cost reductions.