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September 2026

The Index · editionThe public Index as frozen on 2026-09-28: 12 tables, the top 10 of each.
Revised edition. First published 2026-09-27; revised as follows:
  • 2026-09-28 The Open models table was withdrawn: its dataset contained unsourced and implausible entries and omitted models released in 2026. It will return after a sourced rebuild.
  • 2026-09-28 The Frontier labs, Semiconductors and Cloud tables were withdrawn after a review found errors in their data introduced by an automated research process (inflated assessment scores; quarterly revenue recorded as annual; a unit error in data-centre capacity). They will return after the data is restored from sourced values.
How to cite

Cognitive Coefficient Institute (2026). The Cognitive Coefficient Index, September 2026 edition. https://alpha.cognitivecoefficient.com/index/editions/2026-09. Licensed CC BY 4.0.

Licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse freely, credit “Cognitive Coefficient Institute”. Scores are model outputs, not predictions. Terms.

Countries

Economies, ranked on the total cognitive capacity they command and on that capacity per person.

#NameRegionCPI · Cognitive PowerCC · Cognitive Coefficient
01United StatesNorth America93.686.7
02ChinaAsia-Pacific91.969.9
03JapanAsia-Pacific65.464.4
04GermanyEurope63.870.0
05South KoreaAsia-Pacific62.574.3

All 10 economies in this edition → · CSV ↓

Major cities

The world's major metros, on the absolute AI capacity concentrated in them and on that capacity per person.

#NameRegionMPI · Metro PowerMCC · Metro Coefficient
01New YorkUS87.175.9
02San Francisco Bay AreaUS85.498.6
03BeijingAsia-Pacific83.872.7
04ShanghaiAsia-Pacific80.866.2
05TokyoAsia-Pacific80.358.9

All 10 metros in this edition → · CSV ↓

US States

The states and the District of Columbia, on absolute AI capacity and on capacity per person.

#NameRegionSPI · State PowerSCC · State Coefficient
01CaliforniaWest98.593.5
02New YorkNortheast82.779.3
03TexasSouth79.364.6
04FloridaSouth73.557.5
05PennsylvaniaNortheast71.965.5

All 10 states in this edition → · CSV ↓

Largest companies

The largest public companies by market value, scored on corporate power and on AI posture.

#NameSectorCPX · Corporate PowerCAI · AI posture
01AmazonE-commerce & Cloud94.587.6
02MicrosoftSoftware & Cloud93.387.2
03AppleConsumer Electronics91.380.4
04NvidiaSemiconductors86.395.1
05AlphabetInternet & Cloud85.996.5

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓

AI companies

The companies with the most influence over how AI is built and deployed.

#NameSectorAII · AI InfluenceFRN · Frontier capability
01AlphabetInternet & Cloud95.999.0
02NvidiaSemiconductors95.790.0
03OpenAIAI Lab / Foundation Models92.799.0
04AnthropicAI Lab / Foundation Models90.398.0
05Meta PlatformsSocial Media & AI89.692.0

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓

Data-centre operators

The developers and operators that build and lease the capacity AI runs in.

#NameSegmentSCX · Stack Capacity IndexAIX · AI exposure
01Digital RealtyHyperscale wholesale85.640.0
02EquinixColocation & interconnection81.730.0
03NTT Global Data CentersHyperscale wholesale76.935.0
04Aligned Data CentersHyperscale wholesale73.960.0
05ST Telemedia Global Data CentresRegional platform70.335.0

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓

Power and energy for AI

The utilities, generators and on-site power providers signed to supply data centres.

#NameSegmentSCX · Stack Capacity IndexAIX · AI exposure
01Dominion EnergyUtility71.345.0
02AESIndependent power producer68.745.0
03Duke EnergyUtility65.725.0
04PPLUtility65.045.0
05VistraIndependent power producer57.025.0

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓

Telecom and network carriers

The fibre backbones, subsea cables and carriers that connect the sites.

#NameSegmentSCX · Stack Capacity IndexAIX · AI exposure
01China MobileMobile-led carrier78.018.0
02NTTIntegrated carrier76.112.0
03China TelecomIntegrated carrier72.718.0
04VerizonIntegrated carrier71.810.0
05AT&TIntegrated carrier69.710.0

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓

Servers, networking and optics

The makers of AI servers, data-centre switches, optical links and storage.

#NameSegmentSCX · Stack Capacity IndexAIX · AI exposure
01FoxconnAI servers & ODMs83.550.0
02Quanta ComputerAI servers & ODMs79.475.0
03SupermicroAI servers & ODMs76.590.0
04WistronAI servers & ODMs74.955.0
05WiwynnAI servers & ODMs73.190.0

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓

Power, cooling and electrical equipment

The switchgear, transformers and cooling a data centre needs, and the contractors who fit them.

#NameSegmentSCX · Stack Capacity IndexAIX · AI exposure
01Schneider ElectricPower distribution & UPS83.750.0
02VertivPower distribution & UPS74.980.0
03Comfort Systems USAElectrical contractors & EPC58.755.0
04EMCORElectrical contractors & EPC56.525.0
05Wesco InternationalElectrical distribution55.522.0

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓

Critical minerals and materials

The miners and materials makers that chips and power depend on.

#NameSegmentSCX · Stack Capacity IndexAIX · AI exposure
01AjinomotoSubstrates & films77.215.0
02China Northern Rare EarthRare earths & magnets50.612.0
03SUMCOSilicon, quartz & wafers41.250.0
04Tokyo Ohka KogyoProcess chemicals & gases35.645.0
05SK SiltronSilicon, quartz & wafers32.950.0

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓

Training data and labelling

The companies that produce, label and license the data models are trained on.

#NameSegmentSCX · Stack Capacity IndexAIX · AI exposure
01MercorExpert data & RLHF86.195.0
02Scale AIExpert data & RLHF75.295.0
03Surge AIExpert data & RLHF74.3100.0
04Handshake (AI)Expert data & RLHF69.575.0
05Snorkel AIEvals & RL environments54.595.0

All 10 companies in this edition → · CSV ↓