2026 Stanford HAI AI Index: Assessing Global Technological Hegemony (hai.stanford.edu)

• Private sector investment remains concentrated in US hubs
• Compute access serves as the primary barrier to entry for European innovators
• AI governance remains a distinctive European policy priority

"The Stanford HAI 2026 report provides a comprehensive metric analysis of the global AI landscape. It underscores that AI development is now a central pillar of geopolitical competition, driven by massive investments in compute infrastructure. While the US maintains an lead in private investment and model innovation, the report identifies critical gaps in European industrial scaling, urging a focus on sovereign infrastructure to match the current pace of technological evolution."