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Charted: Compute Costs More Than Talent in AI

2026-04-22 00:28:26

Charted: Compute Costs More Than Talent in AI

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Key Takeaways

Compute is the largest cost for all three AI firms in the dataset, accounting for 57% to 70% of total spending.
At Anthropic, compute spending reaches $6.8 billion in 2025 across model training and inference.
In this dataset, compute costs exceed staff and other expenses, highlighting how infrastructure—not talent—drives AI spending.

For leading AI companies, the biggest expense is not talent. It is compute.

This chart from Visual Capitalist’s AI Week, sponsored by Terzo, uses Epoch AI data to compare spending at Anthropic, Minimax, and Z.ai across R&D compute, inference compute, and staff plus other costs.

In every case, compute accounts for the majority of total spending, underscoring how capital-intensive it has become to build and serve frontier AI models.

How AI Company Costs Break Down

Despite differences in scale, all three companies allocate the largest share of their budgets to a single category: compute.

The data below compares spending composition across Anthropic, Minimax, and Z.ai. Anthropic’s figures are for 2025, while Minimax’s are from Q1 to Q3 of 2025 and Z.ai’s are for H1 2025.

Costs Category	Anthropic	Minimax	Z.ai
R&D Compute (Billions, USD)	4.10	0.14	0.18
Inference Compute (Billions, USD)	2.70	0.04	0.01
Staff and Other (Billions, USD)	2.90	0.14	0.12
Total (Billions, USD)	9.70	0.32	0.31
R&D Compute Share	42%	44%	58%
Inference Compute Share	28%	13%	3%
Staff and Other Share	30%	44%	39%

Across all three AI companies, compute is the main cost center. Epoch AI estimates that R&D compute and inference compute together account for 57% to 70% of total spending, making infrastructure more expensive than staff and other costs in every case.

Among the three, Z.ai has the most R&D-heavy profile, with 58% of spending tied to compute powering model development and training.

Anthropic stands out for sheer scale. Epoch AI estimates the company spent $9.7 billion in 2025, including $6.8 billion on compute alone across training and inference.

Its costs are significantly higher than Minimax’s and Z.ai’s, even if the two Chinese AI companies’ figures were annualized to match Anthropic’s full-year period.

Both Chinese companies release many of their models as open source, meaning the model weights are freely available for anyone to download, modify, and run. This strategy helps them compete with better-funded U.S. labs by building developer adoption at a fraction of the cost.

AI Talent Costs Less Than Chips and Compute

One of the clearest takeaways is that talent costs less than compute in this comparison. Even though top AI labs pay some of the highest salaries in tech, staff and other costs still account for less than half of total spending at each of the three firms.

While the chart focuses on costs, Epoch AI estimates these labs are currently spending around 2–3x more than they generate in revenue, even as some expect economics to improve over time.

How These Estimates Were Built

This dataset comes with a few important caveats. Anthropic’s figures are based on reporting from The Information and are more speculative, while Minimax and Z.ai figures come from IPO filings released in January 2026.

The time periods also differ: Anthropic data is for the full year of 2025, Minimax covers 2025 Q1–Q3, and Z.ai covers 2025 H1. Epoch AI says its expense totals include operating expenses, cost of goods and services, and non-cash items such as stock-based compensation.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out The Soaring Revenues of AI Companies on Voronoi.

Mapped: AI Adoption Across Europe

2026-04-21 22:19:12

Use This Visualization

Mapped: AI Adoption Across Europe

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

AI adoption is highest in Northern Europe, with Norway leading the continent at 56%.
Major economies like Germany and the UK lag smaller countries, with only about one-third reporting recent use.
Across Europe, the map shows a widening adoption gap as AI becomes mainstream faster in some countries than others.

Artificial intelligence is spreading quickly across Europe, but adoption is not happening evenly. A clear divide is emerging between countries where AI is becoming mainstream and those where usage remains relatively low.

This map from Visual Capitalist’s AI Week, sponsored by Terzo, shows the share of people in each European country who used AI in the last three months, based on data from Eurostat and IAB UK.

AI Usage Across Europe

Since the rollout of consumer AI tools in late 2022, Europe has begun to split into clear adoption tiers. Northern European countries dominate the top of the ranking, while several of the continent’s largest economies sit much lower.

The table below shows the share of people in each country who report using AI tools within the last three months.

Rank	Country	Individuals using AI tools (%)
1	Norway	56.3
2	Denmark	48.4
3	Switzerland	47.0
4	Estonia	46.6
5	Malta	46.5
6	Finland	46.3
7	Ireland	44.9
8	Netherlands	44.7
9	Cyprus	44.2
10	Greece	44.1
11	Luxembourg	42.5
12	Belgium	42.0
13	Sweden	42.0
14	Austria	39.4
15	Portugal	38.7
16	Spain	37.9
17	Slovenia	37.6
18	France	37.5
19	Lithuania	36.9
20	Czechia	35.4
21	UK	34.3
22	Latvia	33.4
23	EU	32.7
24	Germany	32.3
25	Slovakia	30.8
26	Hungary	29.6
27	Croatia	27.5
28	Poland	22.7
29	Bulgaria	22.5
30	North Macedonia	22.0
31	Bosnia & Herzegovina	20.3
32	Italy	19.9
33	Turkey	18.6
34	Romania	17.8

Eurostat data shows Northern Europe leading the way. Norway ranks first at (56%), followed by Denmark at 48% and Finland at 46%, suggesting AI has already entered the mainstream for a large share of people in these countries.

At the other end of the spectrum, adoption remains far lower in parts of southeastern Europe. Romania ranks last, with fewer than one in five people reporting recent AI use

Mixed Results in the Mediterranean

Across Southern Europe, results varied immensely, with Italy (20%) and even Turkey (19%) seeing less than half the usage reported by their counterparts in Cyprus or Greece (both 44%), to say nothing of Malta (47%).

Meanwhile, the Iberian countries, Spain (38%) and Portugal (39%), reported mid-range figures in line with those seen in Western European peers like France and the United Kingdom.

The high gaps in AI usage across the Mediterranean appears to cut across economic or developmental divides.

Young People Leading the Way

Younger people appear to be accelerating adoption further. In the UK, for example, overall recent AI use stands at 34%, but among those aged 15-24, 24% report using these tools daily.

That points to a second divide beneath the country-level map: even where national adoption looks moderate, AI may already be deeply embedded among younger users in school and early-career workplaces.

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If you enjoyed today’s post, check out ChatGPT the Only Constant in an Evolving AI Landscape on Voronoi.

Ranked: Central Banks Buying and Selling Gold in 2026

2026-04-21 19:58:39

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Central Banks Buying and Selling Gold in 2026

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

Poland is the largest gold buyer in 2026 so far, adding over 20 tonnes.
Emerging markets are driving most purchases as geopolitical risk rises.
Russia and Turkey are among the biggest sellers, reflecting fiscal and currency pressures.

Central banks are taking diverging paths on gold in 2026.

While countries like Poland, Uzbekistan, and China are adding to their reserves, others, including Russia and Turkey, are selling to manage economic pressures. The split highlights gold’s dual role as both a geopolitical hedge and a source of liquidity.

This chart shows net changes in central bank gold reserves by country so far as of end of February, based on data from the World Gold Council.

Poland Leads Global Gold Buying in 2026

Poland is leading global gold accumulation in 2026, adding over 20 tonnes, more than any other central bank so far this year. This purchase is part of a broader multi-year plan to reach 700 tonnes, reflecting heightened security concerns on NATO’s eastern flank.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan follow closely behind, continuing a steady trend of gold accumulation among Central Asian economies.

Country	Net Change in 2026 (Tonnes of Gold)
Poland	20.23
Uzbekistan	16.48
Kazakhstan	6.51
Malaysia	4.98
Czechia	3.36
China	2.18
Cambodia	1.69
Indonesia	1.51
Serbia	0.99
Philippines	0.46
El Salvador	0.29
Singapore	0.20
Malta	0.12
Mongolia	0.08
Egypt	0.06
Qatar	0.02
Mexico	-0.02
Belarus	-0.05
Kyrgyzstan	-1.07
Bulgaria	-1.88
Turkey	-8.08
Russia	-15.55

Diversification Away From Dollar Reserves

The freezing of roughly $300 billion in Russian central bank assets in 2022 marked a turning point for global reserve management.

In response, countries like China and several Central Asian economies have accelerated gold purchases, treating bullion as a reserve asset that sits outside the reach of foreign governments. Unlike foreign currency reserves, gold is not subject to foreign jurisdiction, making it attractive in a fragmented geopolitical landscape. Smaller buyers, such as Cambodia and Serbia, are also gradually increasing their allocations.

Why Russia and Turkey Are Selling Gold

On the other side of the ledger, Russia and Turkey are the largest net sellers of gold in 2026.

Russia’s gold sales point to mounting fiscal strain, as wartime spending and sanctions pressure government finances.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s reduction is driven by domestic policy, including efforts to stabilize the lira and manage local gold demand.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Mapped: Which Countries Hold the Most Gold Reserves? on Voronoi, the new app from Visual Capitalist.

Ranked: The EU’s Richest Regions

2026-04-21 12:41:09

Ranked: The EU’s Richest Regions

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

Ireland’s Eastern and Midland region ranks first, with GDP per capita more than double the EU average.
Luxembourg and Southern Ireland also rank far above the norm, driven in part by multinational activity.
Capital hubs like Prague and Bucharest-Ilfov rank among the EU’s richest regions, highlighting how wealth clusters in major cities.

Ireland and Luxembourg dominate the top of this ranking, but some of the most surprising entries come from Central and Eastern Europe, where capital regions rival Western Europe’s wealthiest hubs.

Using data from Eurostat and visualized by DataPulse, this graphic ranks EU regions by GDP per capita in purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjusts for cost-of-living differences across countries.

The EU’s Top 30 Regions by GDP per Capita

The table below shows the EU’s top-performing regions by GDP per capita, measured in purchasing power standards (PPS):

Rank	Region	Country	GDP per Capita (€)	% of EU Avg
1	Eastern and Midland	Ireland	107,200	268
2	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	97,700	245
3	Southern	Ireland	86,500	217
4	Hamburg	Germany	78,300	196
5	Prague	Czech Republic	76,600	192
6	Brussels	Belgium	76,000	190
7	Bucharest - Ilfov	Romania	75,000	188
8	Capital Region of Denmark	Denmark	70,100	175
9	North Holland	Netherlands	69,900	175
10	Upper Bavaria	Germany	67,700	170
11	Budapest	Hungary	67,200	168
12	Utrecht	Netherlands	64,900	162
13	Bolzano - South Tyrol	Italy	64,200	161
14	Île-de-France	France	64,000	160
15	Warsaw	Poland	62,800	157
16	Walloon Brabant	Belgium	61,900	155
17	Stuttgart (district)	Germany	61,300	153
18	Stockholm	Sweden	61,100	153
19	Bratislava Region	Slovakia	61,000	153
20	Darmstadt (district)	Germany	59,200	148
21	Salzburg	Austria	58,100	146
22	North Brabant	Netherlands	55,400	139
23	Vienna	Austria	54,600	137
24	Antwerp	Belgium	54,100	135
25	Sostinės regionas	Lithuania	53,000	133
26	Bremen (state) Bremen	Germany	52,700	132
27	Lombardy	Italy	52,700	132
28	Zagreb	Croatia	52,500	131
29	Lower Saxony Braunschweig	Germany	51,500	129
30	South Holland	Netherlands	51,500	129
--	Average	European Union	40,000	100

The top of the ranking is dominated by two familiar outliers: Ireland and Luxembourg.

Eastern and Midland (Ireland) leads the EU by a wide margin, while Southern Ireland and Luxembourg also rank far above the regional average. Notably, several Central and Eastern European capitals rank ahead of regions in much larger Western economies.

Why Ireland and Luxembourg Stand Out

At first glance, Ireland and Luxembourg appear to be runaway leaders. But part of that strength reflects the way multinational firms book profits in these economies.

In Ireland especially, the presence of major foreign companies can push GDP per capita far above what domestic consumption or household income alone would suggest. Economists often describe this gap as GDP distortion, where globally generated profits are recorded locally.

The Power of Capital Regions

Many of Europe’s wealthiest regions are centered around capital cities or major economic hubs. Prague, Brussels, Paris (Île-de-France), and Copenhagen all rank highly due to:

Concentration of government institutions
High-value service industries
Corporate headquarters and financial activity

These regions act as economic engines, attracting talent, investment, and infrastructure that boost productivity and output per person.

Eastern Europe’s Surprising Entries

Notably, Bucharest-Ilfov (Romania) and Budapest (Hungary) rank among the EU’s top regions, despite their countries having lower overall GDP per capita.

This creates a striking contrast: cities like Bucharest and Budapest rank among the EU’s richest regions, even though their countries rank much lower overall. Economic activity is concentrated in these capital hubs, where multinational firms and high-value services drive productivity well above national averages.

The broader takeaway is that national averages can hide where economic power is really concentrated. Across the EU, a relatively small group of capital cities, financial centers, and multinational hubs account for an outsized share of regional wealth.

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For more insights on Europe’s wealth distribution, check out Europe’s Richest Countries on the Voronoi app.

Mapped: Internet Freedom Around the World in 2026

2026-04-21 00:35:15

Mapped: Internet Freedom Around the World in 2026

See visuals like this from many other data creators on our Voronoi app. Download it for free on iOS or Android and discover data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Key Takeaways

11 countries tie for the world’s freest internet (score: 92), spanning Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
North Korea ranks last (0), with China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan close behind (4).
The U.S. (64) and UK (52) rank mid-pack, trailing leaders like Norway and Costa Rica.

How free is the internet where you live?

This map ranks 171 countries based on how freely people can access the internet. The results reveal stark global differences, from highly open systems in parts of Europe and Latin America to tightly controlled networks in countries like North Korea and China.

The data comes from a 2026 internet freedom index by Cloudwards, which evaluates national policies across four areas: torrenting, VPN availability, adult content, and political and civic expression.

Where Does the U.S. Rank?

The United States scores 64 out of 100, placing it in the global middle. It ranks alongside countries like Japan and Australia, and below top performers such as Norway (92) and Canada (84).

The UK scores even lower at 52, reflecting stricter regulations in areas like online content access.

The Freest Internet Access Worldwide

No country achieves a perfect score, but 11 countries across four continents share the top spot at 92.

These countries are Belgium, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste.

The data table below lists countries worldwide alongside their internet freedom scores.

Country	Internet Freedom Score
Belgium	92
Costa Rica	92
Denmark	92
Finland	92
Iceland	92
Liechtenstein	92
New Zealand	92
Norway	92
Slovakia	92
Suriname	92
Timor-Leste	92
Andorra	84
Austria	84
Belize	84
Canada	84
Cape Verde	84
Chile	84
Côte d’Ivoire	84
Croatia	84
Dominican Republic	84
Greece	84
Guyana	84
Haiti	84
Jamaica	84
Kosovo	84
Lithuania	84
Luxembourg	84
Malta	84
Moldova	84
Montenegro	84
North Macedonia	84
Panama	84
Poland	84
Seychelles	84
Slovenia	84
Switzerland	84
Trinidad & Tobago	84
Uruguay	84
Ireland	80
Latvia	80
Portugal	80
Sweden	80
Argentina	76
Benin	76
Bolivia	76
Bosnia & Herzegovina	76
Cyprus	76
Fiji	76
Gambia	76
Hungary	76
Liberia	76
Madagascar	76
Mongolia	76
Namibia	76
Niger	76
Peru	76
Bulgaria	72
Estonia	72
Ghana	72
Guatemala	72
Italy	72
Mexico	72
Netherlands	72
Paraguay	72
Spain	72
Taiwan	72
Angola	68
Democratic Republic of Congo	68
Gabon	68
Malawi	68
Mali	68
Mauritius	68
Mozambique	68
Papua New Guinea	68
Republic of the Congo	68
Senegal	68
Albania	64
Australia	64
Botswana	64
Central African Republic	64
Ecuador	64
France	64
Georgia	64
Germany	64
Guinea-Bissau	64
Honduras	64
Hong Kong SAR China	64
Japan	64
Lesotho	64
Maldives	64
Morocco	64
Nicaragua	64
Nigeria	64
Romania	64
Serbia	64
South Africa	64
United States	64
Mauritania	60
Armenia	56
Burundi	56
Cameroon	56
Chad	56
Eswatini	56
Guinea	56
Lebanon	56
Palestine	56
Philippines	56
Rwanda	56
Tajikistan	56
Tunisia	56
Bhutan	52
Brazil	52
Colombia	52
Kenya	52
Kyrgyzstan	52
United Kingdom	52
Zambia	52
Algeria	48
Burkina Faso	48
Djibouti	48
Nepal	48
Sri Lanka	48
Tongo	48
Zimbabwe	48
Cambodia	44
El Salvador	44
Israel	44
Somalia	44
Ukraine	44
Azerbaijan	36
Cuba	36
Equatorial Guinea	36
Ethiopia	36
Jordan	36
Kazakhstan	36
Kuwait	36
Laos	36
Thailand	36
Venezuela	36
Bahrain	32
Malaysia	32
Singapore	32
South Korea	32
Libya	28
Tanzania	28
Afghanistan	24
Brunei	24
Indonesia	24
Qatar	24
Uganda	24
Uzbekistan	24
Vietnam	24
Bangladesh	20
Belarus	20
Oman	20
Iraq	16
Myanmar (Burma)	16
Turkmenistan	16
Egypt	12
India	12
Saudi Arabia	12
Sudan	12
Syria	12
Türkiye	12
United Arab Emirates	12
Yemen	12
China	4
Iran	4
Pakistan	4
Russia	4
North Korea	0

European countries make up over half of this top echelon and are especially concentrated in the Nordics, where Sweden (80) is the only exception. The Nordic countries are widely known for their liberal, tolerant governments and societies.

Perhaps more surprising is the high placement of countries like Suriname and Timor-Leste, developing nations in South America and Asia that have nonetheless imposed minimal restrictions on social media use and online access.

The Bottom of the Scoreboard

On the other side of the spectrum is North Korea (0), where very few citizens have access to the global internet. Instead, most rely on the national intranet service, Kwangmyong, which filters out outside information.

Right behind North Korea are China and Russia, which tie with Iran and Pakistan for the next-lowest scores worldwide (4).

China’s Great Firewall is perhaps the world’s best-known censorship system, used to suppress criticism of the country’s leaders or content related to politically sensitive topics such as the Tiananmen Square protests. It also blocks access to foreign platforms like Facebook and YouTube.

Internet Access in the West

The United States (64) sits near the middle of the ranking, alongside developed democracies such as Australia, France, Germany, and Japan. The United Kingdom (52) scores slightly lower, with recent adult content legislation playing a role.

Across much of the Western world, scores remain relatively high, including in Canada (84), Ireland and Portugal (both 80), and Spain and Italy (both 72).

One notable outlier is South Korea (32), which ranks below countries like Cuba, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela (36), underscoring how content restrictions—not just political systems—shape internet freedom scores.

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If you enjoyed today’s post, check out A Day of Activity on the Internet on Voronoi.Use This Visualization

Ranked: 2026 GDP Growth Forecasts for the World’s 20 Largest Economies

2026-04-20 23:34:00

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Jenna Ross

Graphics & Design

A bar chart showing that India has the highest 2026 GDP growth projections out of the world’s largest economies.

2026 GDP Growth Forecasts for the World’s 20 Largest Economies

Geopolitical tensions are putting pressure on global growth, but not all economies are affected equally. Which of the world’s largest economies are set to grow the fastest in 2026?

In this graphic, created in partnership with Terzo, we look at real GDP growth projections for the world’s 20 largest economies. It’s part of our Markets in a Minute series, which delivers quick economic insights.

Ranking GDP Growth by Country

In 2026, India is projected to see the highest GDP growth among economic powerhouses. The IMF raised its forecast due to India’s strong economy in 2025, as well as the reduction in U.S. tariffs on Indian goods.

Country	2026 Projected Real GDP Growth
India	6.5%
Indonesia	5.0%
China	4.4%
Türkiye	3.4%
Poland	3.3%
Saudi Arabia	3.1%
U.S.	2.3%
Spain	2.1%
Australia	2.0%
Brazil	1.9%
South Korea	1.9%
Mexico	1.6%
Canada	1.5%
Netherlands	1.2%
Russia	1.1%
France	0.9%
UK	0.8%
Germany	0.8%
Japan	0.7%
Italy	0.5%

Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, April 2026. Real GDP growth is adjusted for inflation.

China takes the third spot among the world’s largest economies with forecasted growth of 4.4%. Its relatively strong prediction is the result of lower U.S. tariff rates on Chinese goods, as well as policy support from Chinese authorities to offset the negative effects of the Middle East conflict.

As a result of the conflict, Saudi Arabia saw the biggest drop in its growth forecast among the world’s largest economies. Experts expect that temporarily reduced oil exports will create a drag on GDP. However, Saudi Arabia is much better off than many of its neighbors due to the East-West pipeline that is able to redirect nearly half of the exports that normally flow through the Strait of Hormuz to the Red Sea instead.

U.S. Economic Growth in 2026

The IMF predicts that the U.S. will have the highest GDP growth among large developed countries, on track for 2.3% in 2026. Boosts to growth come from government spending, interest rate cuts in 2025, and strong productivity. On the flip side, trade barriers and the Middle East war may create moderate drags on growth.

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