snip for space
If you remember me arguing that earlier, you should have no trouble remembering also that I always pointed out how side costs should never be added directly to a unit, but divided by the number of units it affects you've built over the game.
Tech is a matter of timing of the unit and tech costs should always be considered as a timing and not direct cost, I have even pointed this out couple of mins ago on shoutbox against gbem arguments.
Side tech, being optional and limited by its nature, inflates the cost of a unit(s) it affects, the more units benefiting from it on field, the less it inflates their overall cost, but again, it most certainly does inflate their cost.
AEC is a perfect example of cost inflated unit.
It requires side tech to build, but doesn't perform nor should it perform as base cost+unlock cost, but you never built more then 1, hence full side tech cost inflates its value, but does not impact its performance.
I hope that's clear enough to understand.