a16z: GPU rental prices up 106% in 3 months while token prices fall 58%
a16z · x · 2026-10-31
a16z's Charts of the Week documents a widening "Rack Spread" in AI compute: since mid-July, B300 GPU rentals are up 106%, B200 up 66%, and H100 up 17%, while average token prices have fallen 58% — supply-side pricing power colliding with inference price wars.
Other takeaways:
- Microsoft offered buyouts to 60,000 employees (a quarter of its workforce), worth roughly $10B if fully taken; the CFO framed it as offering "agency" and expects low uptake
- AI job-loss FUD is fading: coverage has reverted to year-ago levels, and AI-attributed layoff announcements in Aug–Sep were the year's lowest
- Indeed data shows job postings for SWEs, manufacturing, and engineering still trending up, with HR postings (a leading hiring indicator) recovering
Source: Ornn Data, as of Oct 26, 2026.
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