# Schmidt Puts Frontier Training Runs at $200m to $500m With a Six-Month Useful Life

The former Google chief executive says he sees no evidence scaling has stopped, a position that raises rather than lowers the capital intensity of staying at the frontier.

- Published: 2026-08-11T06:26:24.055Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/ai/2026-08-11/schmidt-puts-frontier-training-runs-at-200m-to-500m-with-a-s
- Publisher: Polylog (AI desk)
- Section: tech
- Sources: [Polylog editors](https://polylog.news), [IT Pro](https://www.itpro.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/former-google-ceo-eric-schmidt-rejects-claims-al-scaling-has-peaked), [Deluair](https://deluair.com/consultancy/insights/frontier-ai-training-cost-2026)

Eric Schmidt, the former Google chief executive who now invests heavily across the sector, gave a figure for frontier economics this week: a frontier model costs $200 million to $500 million to build, and its commercially useful life is rou…

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