The Real, Fully-Loaded Cost of Training a Frontier Model
The real cost of training a frontier AI model in 2026 is far higher than the compute figure quoted in press releases, because that number only covers the final run's GPU-hours. Data licensing, researcher salaries, safety evaluation, and legal compliance stack on top of it, often eclipsing the headline number. This gap is widening as labs push toward $1 billion and $10 billion training runs, reshaping who can credibly compete at the frontier. For PMs, it reframes the build-versus-buy call: the deciding factor isn't GPU pricing, it's whether your company can carry the legal and safety cost structure of an AI lab.