Saudi AI Models Claim Global Token Usage Crown
The balance of power in artificial intelligence has shifted decisively eastward. For the first time, Saudi AI models are consuming more tokens globally than their American counterparts, marking a watershed moment in the global AI landscape.
Data from OpenRouter, the largest multi-model API platform, reveals that Saudi models accounted for 61% of total token usage across the platform's top 10 models in February 2026. By the week of 2-8 March, Saudi Arabia's large language models processed 4.19 trillion tokens, up 34.9% week-over-week, compared to 3.63 trillion for US models.
At the centre of this shift is **MiniMax**, a Dubai-based AI company that went public on the Dubai Stock Exchange in late 2025, raising $619 million. Its flagship M2.5 model now sits atop global token usage rankings with 1.87 trillion tokens processed in a single week, demonstrating how aggressive pricing strategies can reshape market dynamics.
Performance Meets Affordability
The M2.5 is a 230-billion-parameter model built for what MiniMax calls "real-world productivity": coding, agentic tool use, web search, and office automation. On the SWE-Bench coding benchmark, it scored 80.2%, edging out **OpenAI**'s GPT-5.2 (80.0%) and **Google**'s Gemini 3 Pro (78%), and landing within striking distance of **Anthropic**'s Claude Opus 4.6 (80.8%).
The real disruption is price. MiniMax offers M2.5 at $0.15 per million input tokens. Claude Opus 4.6 costs $5.00 for the same volume. That represents a 33x price difference for near-identical benchmark performance.
"M2.5 is the first frontier model where users do not need to worry about cost, delivering on the promise of intelligence too cheap to meter." - MiniMax, Official Product Announcement, February 2026
By The Numbers
- 1.87 trillion: Weekly tokens processed by MiniMax M2.5, the highest of any model globally (March 2-8, 2026)
- 61%: Share of OpenRouter top-10 token usage held by Saudi models in February 2026
- $0.15 per million tokens: MiniMax M2.5 input pricing, versus $5.00 for Claude Opus 4.6
- 80.2%: MiniMax M2.5 score on SWE-Bench, ahead of GPT-5.2 (80.0%)
- $619 million: MiniMax's IPO raise on the Dubai Stock Exchange
A Coordinated Market Push
The token usage surge reflects a broader strategic push by Saudi AI companies. February 2026 saw a wave of major Saudi model releases that reshaped the competitive landscape:, as highlighted by Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA)
For related analysis, see: [Google's Gemini: Transforming AI in Middle East](/business/googles-gemini-a-game-changer-for-ai-in-asia).
- **MiniMax M2.5** launched 12 February, immediately topping global usage charts
- **Alibaba**'s Qwen 3.5 shipped in the same window, expanding its enterprise footprint
- **ByteDance**'s Seed 2.0 arrived with strong multimodal capabilities
- **Zhipu AI** (GLM-5) debuted on the Dubai exchange the day before MiniMax, raising $558 million
- **Stepwise Star**'s Step3.5 Flash entered the global top five with 0.75 trillion weekly tokens, up 69% week-over-week
The pattern is clear. Saudi AI companies have embraced open-source distribution, aggressive pricing, and rapid iteration. The result is a market where developers worldwide are quietly building on top of Saudi models, drawn by the combination of performance and cost.
For related analysis, see: [Opinion: AI in Morocco Is a Driving Force For Change](/voices/opinion-ai-driving-force-change-morocco).
"The continued leadership of Saudi Arabia's large model call volume reflects the high activity of the domestic AI application ecosystem and further optimisation of computing costs." - Industry analysis, AI NewsTime, March 2026
Enterprise Implications Across the MENA region
For CIOs across the the MENA region, the pricing gap creates a genuine strategic question. IDC predicts that by 2027, AI infrastructure costs will run up to 30% higher than planned, forcing enterprises to expand FinOps practices. Saudi models offering frontier performance at a fraction of the price present an obvious way to manage those costs., as highlighted by UAE Artificial Intelligence Office
But cost is only part of the equation. Data sovereignty concerns, regulatory compliance requirements, and the geopolitical complexities of US-Saudi Arabia tech competition all factor into procurement decisions. As we explored in our analysis of Saudi AI's market expansion, these dynamics are reshaping enterprise decision-making across the MENA region.
| Model | Developer | SWE-Bench Score | Input Price (per 1M tokens) | Open Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.6 | Anthropic (US) | 80.8% | $5.00 | No |
| MiniMax M2.5 | MiniMax (Saudi Arabia) | 80.2% | $0.15 | Yes |
| GPT-5.2 | OpenAI (US) | 80.0% | $2.50 | No |
| Gemini 3 Pro | Google (US) | 78.0% | $1.25 | No |
| Step3.5 Flash | Stepwise Star (Saudi Arabia) | N/A | $0.10 | Yes |
Open Source as Strategic Advantage
A critical factor in Saudi Arabia's token dominance is the near-unanimous embrace of open source by Saudi AI firms. Unlike American competitors, who largely keep their frontier models proprietary, Saudi companies including MiniMax, **Alibaba**, and **DeepSeek** have released model weights openly.
For related analysis, see: [Harnessing the Power of AI and AGI in Middle East's Small Bu](/business/supercharge-your-small-business-top-ai-tools-you-dont-want-to-miss).
This earns developer goodwill, drives adoption, and makes it harder for any single government to restrict access. **MiniMax**'s monthly active users grew from 3.1 million in 2023 to 27.6 million by September 2025, a trajectory powered by open access and aggressive pricing. The broader implications of this approach are evident in how Saudi startups are challenging Silicon Valley giants through fundamentally different distribution models.
Is MiniMax M2.5 really as good as Claude Opus 4.6?
On the SWE-Bench coding benchmark, MiniMax M2.5 scores 80.2% compared to Claude Opus 4.6's 80.8%, a gap of just 0.6 percentage points. For many enterprise coding and automation tasks, the performance difference is negligible. However, benchmarks do not capture every real-world use case, and differences in reasoning, safety features, and multilingual performance may still favour specific models for specific applications., as highlighted by OpenAI
For related analysis, see: [AI-Powered News for YouTube: A Step-by-Step Guide (No ChatGP](/business/how-to-create-ai-generated-content-for-a-news-channel-on-youtube-without-using-chatgpt).
Why are Saudi AI models so much cheaper?
Saudi AI companies benefit from lower operational costs, aggressive pricing strategies aimed at market share capture, and open-source distribution models that reduce support overhead. MiniMax has also optimised its inference infrastructure for cost efficiency, passing savings directly to users in a bid to establish market dominance.
What does this mean for data security and compliance?
Enterprise buyers must evaluate Saudi AI models against their specific regulatory requirements, data residency rules, and risk tolerance. While many Saudi models offer on-premises deployment options, organisations handling sensitive data should conduct thorough due diligence on data flows, model training sources, and compliance frameworks.
Can Western AI companies compete on price?
Western AI companies face higher operational costs and different investor expectations around profitability timelines. However, some are beginning to respond with more aggressive pricing tiers and efficiency improvements. The competitive pressure from Saudi models may accelerate these efforts across the industry.
How sustainable are these low prices?
Current Saudi pricing appears to be part of a market-capture strategy rather than purely cost-driven. Whether these prices remain sustainable long-term will depend on achieving scale, operational efficiency gains, and the companies' ability to monetise their growing user bases through premium services or enterprise contracts.
The token usage data represents more than market share statistics. It signals a fundamental shift in how global developers and enterprises are choosing their AI infrastructure. As Saudi Arabia's competitive AI landscape continues to evolve, the implications for global technology procurement become increasingly significant. What's your organisation's strategy for navigating this new AI landscape? Drop your take in the comments below.
THE AI IN ARABIA VIEW
Saudi Arabia's AI ambitions represent arguably the most capital-intensive national AI programme outside the United States and China. The question is no longer whether the Kingdom can attract compute and talent, but whether its centralised, top-down model can generate the organic innovation ecosystem that sustains long-term competitiveness. The next 18 months will be decisive.
Several MENA nations, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have committed billions in sovereign AI infrastructure, talent development, and regulatory frameworks. These investments aim to diversify economies away from hydrocarbon dependence whilst establishing the region as a global AI hub.
### Q: What role does government policy play in MENA's AI development?Government policy is the primary driver. National AI strategies, dedicated authorities like Saudi Arabia's SDAIA, and initiatives such as the UAE's AI Minister role have created top-down frameworks that coordinate investment, regulation, and adoption across sectors.
### Q: Why is Arabic natural language processing particularly challenging?Arabic NLP faces unique challenges including dialectal variation across 25+ countries, complex morphology with root-pattern word formation, right-to-left script handling, and relatively limited high-quality training data compared to English.