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Compute Threshold (AI Governance)

compute-threshold · compute · concept

Source: https://policywindow.org/wiki/compute-threshold

Generated 2026-05-30T22:08:31 UTC

Summary

A regulatory trigger expressed as floating-point operations (FLOPs) consumed during model training, above which specific reporting, evaluation, or governance obligations attach.

At a glance

Used by: 2 instrument(s)
Related concepts: frontier-tier, systemic-risk, designated-systemic
Primary source: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Art. 51(2) + Annex XIII pt. (a)
Source URL: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32024R1689

Details

Compute thresholds operationalize the intuition that capability scales (imperfectly) with training compute. Jurisdictions have adopted different thresholds: US EO 14110 used 10²⁶ FLOPs for foundation-model reporting; EU AI Act Art. 51 uses 10²⁵ FLOPs as the systemic-risk presumption; China's GenAI Measures use no compute threshold (registration triggered by public-facing deployment instead); UK AISI commitments are voluntary and capability-based rather than compute-thresholded. Critics note that thresholds become outdated as algorithmic efficiency improves and that compute alone is an imperfect capability proxy.

How to cite this article

APA

Policy Window. (n.d.). Compute Threshold (AI Governance) [Wiki article — Concept]. https://policywindow.org/wiki/compute-threshold

Chicago

Policy Window. n.d.. "Compute Threshold (AI Governance)." Wiki article (Concept). https://policywindow.org/wiki/compute-threshold.

Harvard

Policy Window (n.d.) 'Compute Threshold (AI Governance)', Wiki article — Concept, available at: https://policywindow.org/wiki/compute-threshold.

OSCOLA

Policy Window, 'Compute Threshold (AI Governance)' (Wiki article — Concept, n.d.) <https://policywindow.org/wiki/compute-threshold> accessed [date].

BibTeX

@misc{policywindow-compute-threshold,
  title  = {Compute Threshold (AI Governance)},
  author = {Policy Window},
  year   = {n.d.},
  howpublished = {compute-threshold — compute},
  url    = {https://policywindow.org/wiki/compute-threshold},
  note   = {Primary source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32024R1689}
}