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# GPU computation is 99.8% cheaper than in 2006
- URL: https://aiadoption.org/data/gpu-computation-cost-decline/
- Published: 2026-10-19T14:40:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-21T06:01:29.000Z
- Description: The cost of GPU computation fell 99.8% between 2006 and 2024, according to the International Energy Agency, making today's model scale affordable.
- Author: Manu
- Tags: Data, AI Infrastructure, #chart, #ai-index-2026, #hub-infrastructure

0.002

▼ 99.8% since 2006

cost of GPU computation in 2024, relative to 2006 (= 1)

20062024

## What the chart shows

The cost of a unit of GPU computation in 2024 was about 0.2% of its 2006 level, a fall of 99.8%, according to the International Energy Agency. Most of the decline came early: costs fell 93% between 2006 and 2009, then kept falling more slowly.

Cheaper computation is what makes today’s training runs, with their rising power demands, economically possible.

## Key numbers

| Measure | Value |
| ------- | ----- |
| 2006    | 1.000 |
| 2009    | 0.068 |
| 2015    | 0.018 |
| 2024    | 0.002 |

## How to read it

- Index of the cost per unit of GPU computation, 2006 = 1\. The vertical axis is logarithmic, so steady percentage falls look like a straight line.
- Source: International Energy Agency (2025), Energy and AI, IEA, Paris.

**Source:** [International Energy Agency (2025), Energy and AI](https://aiadoption.org/sources/#iea-energy-and-ai), via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 1.4.12: *GPU computation cost, 2006–24*. Chart and text by AI Adoption.  
Numbers checked against the published data on 19 October 2026.  
[Download the data (CSV)](https://charts.aiadoption.org/ai-index/csv/gpu-computation-cost-decline.csv?ref=aiadoption.org) · [Cite this chart](#source)