Frontier AI's 4-Month Lead Now Costs 5x More

Paying top dollar for frontier AI models only buys a four-month head start — at five times the cost. That's the finding in an Ars Technica exclusive out this week, reporting that open Chinese models are closing the gap with Silicon Valley's best. The story lands as Western labs pause releases and push for slower timelines. For buyers, the math just got harder to justify.