Why Are AI Models Getting More Expensive to Train and Run? 7 Key Drivers
Last updated: May 6, 2026 | Reading time: 12 minutes Introduction – The Billion‑Dollar Question In 2020, training GPT‑3 cost an estimated $4.6 million. By 2024, training GPT‑4 exceeded $100 million. In 2026, rumors suggest that training GPT‑5 – or its equivalent – cost over $1 billion. Meanwhile, running these models (inference) costs even more. … Read more