Adapting to AI’s influence
Some 42% of equipment and software end-users currently use generative AI, and an additional 42% plan to within the next two years, according to a survey conducted by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation.
“It’s a disruptive time in the marketplace,” says Jeff Wolinski, President & Chief Executive Officer, Wintrust Equipment Finance. “This AI focus is another inflection point—similar to the implementation of the internet, Y2K, or the financial crisis—and it forces companies to think differently about how they purchase equipment.”
For most companies, thinking differently means thinking about financing options. The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation reported 2025 as the second-best year in CapEx Finance Index (CFI) history, with new business volumes exceeding $117 billion, and over three-quarters of end-users planning to finance acquisitions.
“There are so many factors at play. With increasing macro environment variables, labor shortages, the supply chain, accessing the energy needed to power plants, and the total cost of capital, there’s a greater need for financial agility and flexibility,” explains Wolinski.
One of the largest AI demands is one of the smallest pieces of equipment: AI chips. Driving a major piece of the AI surge, demand for chip production and distribution is increasing exponentially as chips serve as the foundational hardware layer of AI. Due to geopolitical pressures and technological bottlenecks, the AI supply chain is complex, and companies and governments are investing to secure capabilities, diversify production, and maintain leadership in AI technology. The bottom line: Keeping up with this technology requires constant reinvention.
The big picture
Those who are slower to react risk losing business. Having capital available to fund a need when it surfaces can mean everything when time is of the essence. Which is why it’s important to work with a lender who focuses on finding the best solution—one that takes your full business plan into account, puts a solid structure in place, and ultimately solves the problem at hand.
“Change is inevitable—you want to be ready for it. And changes with AI are moving fast,” says Wolinski. “It’s going to touch everybody—your office staff, your production floor—so you want to be prepared and talk through solutions so you don’t find yourself behind the eight ball.”
As a business leader, it’s important to look beyond the initial purchase need or the best rate and think in terms of a 12-month forecast. Consider the full scope of your project and your potential equipment needs. There’s an optimal way to fund each piece of equipment, and sometimes a single loan for a single piece of equipment is a mere band-aid solution.
Do you need to incorporate a period of time when you’re not paying as much up front? Does a lease make more sense than a purchase? Are you going to have other financing needs within the next year? These are all questions to consider when looking into financing options.
Wintrust Equipment Finance prioritizes digging into these answers. Financing options allow for a one-time approval that spans over a 12-month period, so clients have significantly less paperwork and hoops to jump through when it comes time to fund a project, as well as the ability to protect liquidity for strategic initiatives.
Transparency is key
Wolinski recalls a client who had previously leased equipment under a fair market value (FMV) lease, where the leased equipment needed to be returned or purchased at the then-fair market value when the lease term ended. As an IT service company, units were dispersed across the country, making it difficult to return, forcing the company to purchase the equipment from the leasing company at the end of the term. Because the company focused only on the upfront payment stream, it did not think through the full implications of an FMV lease.
Wintrust’s team spent time understanding the full scope of the client’s goals and recommended a more affordable structure.
“We make sure our clients know everything up front—the good, the bad, the ugly,” says Wolinski. “That way, together, we can implement the best solution for their needs.”
As businesses consider AI investments—or any tools to improve efficiency—it’s important to ensure financial agility by understanding all of the available options.
Connect with our team to discuss the different equipment financing options available to keep your business current on evolving technology needs.
