How AI Credits work
On April 1, 2026, Snowflake introduced AI Credits as a separate billing currency for Cortex Agents, Cortex Code and Snowflake Intelligence. AI Credits are flat priced at $2.00 each with global routing, or $2.20 when requests are pinned to the home region, regardless of Snowflake edition.
Cortex AI Functions, the SQL-callable layer, still bill in standard edition-priced credits. So the same capability can cost differently depending on how it is called.
What else shows up on an AI bill
- Search
Cortex Search serving
Billed per GB of indexed data per month, and it runs whenever the service is resumed.
- Compute
Warehouse compute
Any SQL that runs alongside an AI call still consumes standard credits.
- Models
Model choice
Rates vary widely by model, and model choice is one of the biggest drivers of AI cost.
Where Deal IQ comes in
Knowing what has changed is the first step. Getting a better price on your own contract is the negotiation itself. Deal IQ has run 60+ Snowflake negotiations covering $150M+ in contract value, with a network of 350+ former vendor sales, pricing and deal desk leaders that includes people who sold for Snowflake. We negotiate directly with Snowflake or behind the scenes with your team, and our fee comes from the savings.
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Frequently asked questions
What are Snowflake AI Credits?
A separate billing currency Snowflake introduced on April 1, 2026 for Cortex Agents, Cortex Code and Snowflake Intelligence, at $2.00 per credit with global routing or $2.20 pinned to a region.
Do all Snowflake AI features use AI Credits?
No. Cortex AI Functions still bill in standard edition-priced Snowflake credits.
DEAL IQ IN NUMBERS