Independent research on AI in Europe.
We track GPU prices every month, rank the AI models organisations can run and map which laws reach their data. We link every figure to its source, and anyone may reuse our charts with credit.
Latest research
Open models are strong, and still behind.
The best model an organisation can run itself scores 12 points below the best it can only rent.
Every open model near the top comes from a Chinese lab.
See the Model IndexThe strongest self-hostable model trails the frontier by 12 points.
Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v4.3, score
Source: Artificial Analysis, index v4.3, scores published 7 to 22 September 2026. Scores are not comparable with earlier index versions.
View data table
| Category | Value | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 5.5 | 58 | 1 |
| GPT-6 Astra | 53 | 1 |
| Claude Fable 5.1 | 53 | 1 |
| MiMo-V2.6-Pro (Xiaomi) | 46 | 2 |
| GLM-5.3 (Z.ai) | 44 | 2 |
| Kimi K3 (Moonshot AI) | 44 | 2 |
Group 1: Closed model (API only). Group 2: Open-weight model (runs on your own infrastructure). Unit: score.
Three numbers from our research.
Where AI runs decides its cost, its legal exposure and who can switch it off.
- €35m Regulation The top AI Act fine, or 7% of global turnover. DORA and NIS2 also demand a record of where critical systems run and how to exit a provider. Source
- 19 Dependence Tech providers the EU named critical to its financial sector, AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft among them. US law can reach data held by US providers wherever it sits. Source
- 50% Cost Roughly what European clouds save on an H100 hour against AWS and Azure. At steady volume, own infrastructure can beat an API. Source
AI use keeps climbing. Where it runs is the open question.
AI use in German companies nearly tripled in two years. More than half of large EU firms use it today.
Two thirds of German AI users name data protection as a concern.
Enterprise AI use keeps climbing across Europe.
Share of companies using AI, %
1 Enterprises with 10 or more employees, EU-27. 2 Enterprises with 250 or more employees, EU-27; 2024 and 2026 figures not shown. 3 Companies with 20 or more employees; survey of 603 firms, 2026. Samples differ and are not directly comparable; Eurostat 2026 data not yet published.
Source: Eurostat, December 2025; Bitkom, 14 September 2026
View data table
| Category | Series 1 | Series 2 | Series 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 13.5% | Not reported | 20% |
| 2025 | 20% | 55% | 36% |
| 2026 | Not reported | Not reported | 57% |
Series 1: EU, all enterprises¹. Series 2: EU, large enterprises². Series 3: Germany³. Unit: %
How our research works
- Independence No commissions from vendors, cloud providers or model developers.
- Evidence Every figure links to its public source and the date it was checked.
- Free to cite Charts and tables may be reused with credit and a link.
- European focus EU law, European providers, European languages.
From research to practice
Lindstead also helps organisations act on the findings, from a two-week AI Sovereignty Scan to AI running on infrastructure they control.
Questions about the research?
Our research team answers questions from press and organisations, in a 30-minute call or by message.