Sometimes, but with technology related companies I rarely see that. I've really only seen it in industries that are very straightforward, like producing building materials or something. Do you have any examples?

Utilities. Low cost retail. Fast food.

Amazon. Walmart. Efficiency is arguably their key competitive advantage.

This matters regarding AI systems because a lot of customers may not want to pay extra for the best models! For a lot of companies, serving a good enough model efficiently is a competitive advantage.