U.S. startups captured nearly 88% of global AI funding in 2026, concentrating investment far beyond the country's share of world population and raising questions about whether a funding bubble is forming elsewhere.

What happened

U.S.-headquartered companies have pulled in nearly 88% of AI-related startup funding, or $319 billion（約51兆円）, so far in 2026. Most of that went to just two recipients, OpenAI and Anthropic. By contrast, U.S. companies took nearly 80% of all seed- through growth-stage funding globally, a sharp jump from years before the AI boom when American companies typically secured less than half.

Why it matters

The U.S. is home to only a little over 4% of the global population yet is capturing the overwhelming majority of startup capital flowing into AI. This concentration is a striking departure from historical norms and may indicate that entrepreneurial talent and capital in other regions—which the article suggests possess meaningful infrastructure and economic strength—are not being funded at proportional rates.

What to watch

China's startups have raised over $33 billion（約5.3兆円） so far in 2026, already surpassing the total for all of 2025, and the United Kingdom pulled in $16.5 billion（約2.6兆円） year-to-date compared to $19.5 billion（約3.1兆円） for all of 2025. The article notes that once OpenAI and Anthropic complete public market debuts later this year, next year's funding comparisons may become less lopsided since they will not be raising giant late-stage financings.