Capability vs cost
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index vs output $/M tokens (June 2026 snapshot).
About this data
Each point is a frontier model plotted by capability (intelligence index) against output price per million tokens. Over time the frontier moves down and to the right: equivalent capability keeps getting cheaper while the top of the capability axis keeps rising — the core economic engine of the race.
Each point is a frontier model: y = benchmark score, x = $/M tokens.
View data & sources →Data table
| model | series | source_ref | value_basis | benchmark_score | cost_per_m_tokens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.8 | capability_cost | artificial-analysis | AA Intelligence Index (tops leaderboard, ~62); Opus-class output ~$25/M (Jun 2026) | 62 | 25 |
| GPT-5.5 | capability_cost | artificial-analysis | AA Intelligence Index ~60; output ~$12/M (Jun 2026) | 60 | 12 |
| Gemini 3.1 Pro | capability_cost | artificial-analysis | AA Intelligence Index ~57; output ~$12/M (Jun 2026) | 57 | 12 |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | capability_cost | artificial-analysis | AA Intelligence Index ~51; output ~$15/M (Jun 2026) | 51 | 15 |
Methodology & sources
Last updated: Jul 17, 2026Methodology
Source-backed values are seeded for four of the five charts: the release cadence by lab (2024 → 2026, from each lab’s release notes), the capability-vs-cost scatter (Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index vs output $/M tokens, June 2026 snapshot), training-compute growth by year (Epoch AI, corroborated by Stanford HAI), and a safety-gated capabilities matrix. Every numeric point carries a sources[].ref and a value_basis. Sources are each lab’s own model cards/release notes, Artificial Analysis, Epoch AI, and Stanford HAI — cross-checked against public release timelines. EDITORIAL ENCODING: the safety-gated matrix scores each model × domain as 3 = allowed / 2 = gated / 1 = blocked. This is an interpretation of each model’s published safety policy, not a measured benchmark. PLACEHOLDER: the per-lab benchmark-trajectory chart is left unseeded — a consistent historical per-quarter, per-lab benchmark series was not sourceable without mixing incompatible benchmarks. Re-verified 2026-06-15.
Sources
Comparisons are informative, not definitive. See each source for definitions and limits.