GPU Spot Prices Surge 114% in Six Weeks (tomtunguz.com)

In a notable shift within the GPU market, prices for NVIDIA's Blackwell B200 chips surged 114% over the past six weeks, rising from $0.28 to $1.80 per hour. This price increase is closely linked to the launch of major AI models, particularly GPT-5.5, which requires the advanced capabilities of the B200. The demand for these newer chips highlights a growing trend where state-of-the-art models are increasingly reliant on cutting-edge GPUs, underscoring a significant correlation between model releases and GPU pricing dynamics. The market is also exhibiting a widening gap between the cheapest and most expensive B200 providers, reflecting the complexity and opacity of supply and demand in the GPU space. Initially, the pricing spread narrowed when the B200 was introduced, but recent launches like GPT-5.3-Codex have seen the gap re-establish to levels reminiscent of its initial launch phase. As cloud providers regain pricing power after a period of margin compression, AI startups face increasing costs tied to GPU inference. This ongoing inflation in demand, outpacing improvements, signals that accessing the latest AI technology will become more expensive, creating challenges for model builders navigating this evolving landscape.