The exposure
Five drivers move the price of AI inference, each on its own schedule and in either direction. A fixed price follows none of them.
0.98%Price driftFall in text output prices on the same models since May
135Vendor repricingList price changes in 13 weeks: 92 cuts, 43 rises
976Model turnoverModel listings added in 13 weeks, with 640 withdrawn
5.89%Component shiftsFall in cached input prices since May
3.7×Vendor spreadHighest to lowest price for one model, 24 vendors
Source: Attic Standard, published index levels and listings to November 9, 2026. Figures update with each index publication.
How it works
Three steps set it up, and from then on your price moves with the index, down as well as up.
1Pick your indexA single, blended or custom index built around what you buy.
2Settle each monthThe price moves with that month’s average index level, in either direction.
3Terms already writtenFallback, methodology changes and model substitution are in the Clause, so nothing is reopened.
$0.94Your price this month
=
$1.00Your price at signing, after any discount
×
94.0Index level this month
100.0Index level at signing
How it compares
Each way of buying inference today ties the price to one vendor. The Clause ties it to the market.
Pay as you go
Committed spend
Reserved capacity
The Clause
Price set by
List price on the day
List price, less a discount
A rate fixed for the term
The index, discount kept
Market falls
Only if this vendor cuts
Only if this vendor cuts
At renewal
From the next invoice
Vendor raises prices
In full, at once
In full, discount unchanged
At renewal
Only as far as the index moves
Model withdrawn
Successor’s list price
Successor’s price, less discount
Renegotiate
Move volume, keep the price
Typical terms. Individual agreements vary.
Newer models
A substitution right moves volume to a newer model without reopening the contract.
TodayCurrent modelAt the price the index has earned since signing
→
On the switchPrice carried acrossAdjusted only for the difference in list price between the two models
→
From then onNewer modelFollows the index. Same commitment, same vendor.
In the last 13 weeks, vendors added 976 model listings and withdrew 640.
Simulated contracts
Five contracts settled each month on published index levels since June 2026, each with the terms a different buyer would choose.
EnterpriseProduct teamAI agent companyEnterprise, three yearsSoftware company
$102,572
saved from June to November 9, 2026, against a fixed price at May levels. This month’s price is 6.18% below it.
Buyer
An enterprise buying flagship models through a cloud marketplace
Commitment
$10M a year for 12 months, from June 1, 2026
Index
Monthly payment under the ClauseFixed price
Contract
Terms
At signing
Under the Clause
Difference
Enterprise
$10M a year, flagship models, priced by component
$5,000,000
$4,897,428
$102,572 saved
Product team
$3M a year, compact models, fixed differential
$1,500,000
$1,450,000
$50,000 saved
AI agent company
$6M a year, core models, priced a quarter ahead
$3,000,000
$2,979,970
$20,030 saved
Enterprise, three years
$25M a year minimum spend, blend of three indexes
$12,500,000
$12,500,000
$120,766 more usage
Software company
$5M a year, model developers, 15% discount kept
$2,500,000
$2,474,282
$25,718 saved
Source: Attic Standard, simulated contracts settled on published index levels to November 9, 2026. Figures update with each index publication. The minimum-spend contract pays the same and receives more usage, valued at the price at signing.
Benefits
For buyers
- Market price for the whole termFalls anywhere in the market reach the next invoice.
- Freedom to upgradeMove to newer models without losing the price earned.
- Budgets set in advanceWith quarterly pricing, each quarter’s cost is known before it starts.
- One vendor is enoughThe index is the price check, so no second vendor is kept for leverage.
For buyers and vendors
- One negotiationPricing terms are agreed once for the whole term.
- A price both can verifyEvery invoice is checked against a published figure neither party controls.
- Longer commitmentsBoth sides can commit for longer, with spend the vendor can forecast.
- Fewer disputesPrice questions are settled by a published figure, not by negotiation.
Choosing the index
The index should match what you actually buy.
Custom indexFor models or vendors no published index covers. Built and administered under the same methodology, shared privately with both parties.
Independent by design. Attic Standard sells no inference, buys none and routes none. Every index is calculated by one published method, no vendor sees a figure before publication, and methodology changes never apply to periods already settled.
Read the methodology →Model clause
Contract wording for counsel to adapt. A starting point, not legal advice.
Eight provisions. The optional ones are switched on in Schedule A.
- 4.1
Definitions · Reference index, index level, settlement period, contract rate
- 4.2
Price adjustment · Percentage form: the rate moves with the index
- 4.2A
Fixed differential · Spot price at signing plus a fixed amount per unit
Optional - 4.2B
Settlement options · Quarterly pricing, a threshold, a minimum and maximum rate
Optional - 4.2C
Minimum spend · The commitment stated as a value
Optional - 4.3
Fallback · Successor index, then the fallback in Schedule B
- 4.4
Methodology changes · Never restate a settled period
- 4.5
Substitution · Move volume to a successor model
Optional
4.1Definitions. “Administrator” means Attic Standard, the administrator of the Reference Index. “Reference Index” means the Attic Standard index or blend of indexes named in Schedule A, as published by the Administrator at atticstandard.com or, for a tailored index, made available by the Administrator to the parties. “Index Level” for a Settlement Period means the average of the levels of the Reference Index published within that period. “Base Index Level” (Index0) means the Index Level for the last complete Settlement Period before the Effective Date, unless Schedule A specifies otherwise. “Spot Price” (Spot0) means the most recent spot price for the Reference Index published by the Administrator before the Effective Date, in the currency and unit of the Reference Index; where the Reference Index is a blend, it means the weighted average of the components’ spot prices, using the weights in Schedule A. “Differential” (D) means an amount per unit of usage, positive or negative, in the currency and unit of the Unit Rate, as stated in Schedule A. “Settlement Period” means each calendar month of the term, or such other period as Schedule A specifies. “Unit Rate” means the rate charged per unit of usage in a Settlement Period. “Contract Rate” means the Unit Rate agreed on the Effective Date, which may be stated as the Vendor’s published list price less an agreed percentage discount.
4.2Price adjustment, percentage form. For each Settlement Period, the Unit Rate (Ratet) shall equal the Contract Rate (Rate0) multiplied by the ratio of the Index Level for that period (Indext) to the Base Index Level (Index0), subject to any limits set under 4.2B. Any discount agreed on the Effective Date is preserved as a percentage of the Unit Rate.
4.2AFixed-differential form (optional). Where Schedule A specifies a Differential, the Unit Rate (Ratet) shall instead equal the Spot Price (Spot0) multiplied by the ratio of the Index Level for that period (Indext) to the Base Index Level (Index0), plus the Differential (D), subject to any limits set under 4.2B. The Differential is preserved as a fixed amount per unit, so its share of the Unit Rate changes as the market moves.
4.2BSettlement options (optional). Where Schedule A specifies a Reset Period, the Unit Rate for each Reset Period shall be set before it begins, on the average of the levels of the Reference Index published in the preceding Reset Period. Where Schedule A specifies a Threshold, the Unit Rate shall remain the Contract Rate while the Index Level, expressed against the Base Index Level of 100, differs from 100 by less than the Threshold. Where Schedule A specifies a minimum or maximum Unit Rate, the Unit Rate shall not fall below the minimum or exceed the maximum.
4.2CCommitment in value (optional). Where Schedule A states the commitment as a Minimum Spend, the Buyer commits to a minimum amount in each year of the term equal to the committed volume valued at the Contract Rate. Usage is charged at the Unit Rate and counts towards that amount.
4.3Fallback. If the Reference Index is discontinued, the following shall apply from the date of discontinuation, in this order: (a) the successor index, if any, named by the Administrator in its announcement of the discontinuation; (b) failing that, the fallback index named in Schedule B. In each case the replacement shall be linked to the last published Index Level of the Reference Index, so that the Index Level continues without a break. If neither applies, or if the Reference Index is suspended without notice, the last published Index Level shall be used for up to two Settlement Periods, after which the matter shall be resolved under the dispute resolution provisions of this agreement.
4.4Methodology changes. Changes to the Reference Index methodology announced by the Administrator apply from the Settlement Period following their effective date and shall not restate any period already settled. A change that the Administrator designates as material, or that alters what the Reference Index measures, shall be treated as a discontinuation under 4.3 if either party gives written notice within 30 days of its announcement.
4.5Substitution (optional). Where Schedule A grants a substitution right, the Buyer may move committed volume to a successor model covered by the Reference Index. The successor model’s Contract Rate shall be the outgoing model’s Unit Rate for the Settlement Period in which the substitution takes place, multiplied by the ratio of the successor model’s published list price to the outgoing model’s published list price on the date of substitution, and the Index Level for that Settlement Period becomes its Base Index Level (Index0). Committed volume is unchanged. Where the Vendor withdraws the outgoing model and the successor model’s published list price on the date of substitution exceeds the outgoing model’s, the Buyer may instead, by written notice within 30 days of the Vendor’s announcement of the withdrawal, release the committed volume attributable to the outgoing model without penalty.