Token Quotas & Compute Allocation Controls

The User Problem This Pattern Solves

For a business, a key risk of large-scale AI deployment is unpredictable, runaway costs. Without guardrails, token consumption by hundreds or thousands of users can quickly escalate, leading to massive, unexpected bills. Administrators need the ability to set and enforce budgets, ensuring that AI usage aligns with financial planning and doesn't become an unmanageable expense.

The Design Solution & UI Mockup

The solution is a "Resource Management Dashboard" that gives administrators direct control over AI spending. The UI provides a high-level overview of the total monthly token budget and current usage. Below, it allows for setting specific token quotas for different user groups or departments. Administrators can also assign compute priority levels, ensuring that mission-critical teams always have the resources they need, while non-essential usage can be throttled during peak times. This transforms AI from a variable cost into a predictable, manageable utility.

Key Benefits & Impact

Design Considerations

It is crucial to design a graceful experience for users who hit their quota limits. Instead of a hard stop, the system could provide a clear notification and potentially switch them to a less powerful, cheaper model for the remainder of the billing period. The dashboard should also support setting up automated alerts for administrators (e.g., "The Marketing Team has used 90% of its monthly quota") to enable proactive management.