OpenAI, Anthropic Announce Cheaper AI Models as Competition From Open-Weight Models Grows

OpenAI and Anthropic announced more cost-efficient artificial intelligence models earlier this week. The move comes as demand for lower-cost AI services continues to grow. OpenAI launched GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna models, while Anthropic unveiled Claude Opus 5.5. OpenAI and Anthropic are facing increasing competition from open-weight models, especially from Chinese brands. The launch of GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna and Claude Opus 5.5 could give OpenAI and Anthropic an edge over cost-efficient models in the AI space. 

GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna, Claude Opus 5.5 AI models

OpenAI's new GPT-6 Sol is positioned below GPT-6 Astra and is designed for demanding workloads like coding. GPT-6 Luna is designed for high-volume use cases. The company has also reduced API pricing for the new models. OpenAI claims that the GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna are priced at 50 percent less than the promotional pricing of GPT-5.6.

Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 is the latest model in its Claude 5.5 series. It is designed to handle AI workloads while consuming fewer tokens. Anthropic says Claude Opus 5.5 costs around 40 percent less to operate compared with Claude Opus 5.

OpenAI, Anthropic Face Pressure to Lower AI Costs

The latest release of new AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic comes as businesses increasingly focus on the cost of deploying and operating advanced models. Companies adopting generative AI are preferring models that can handle complex workloads without significantly increasing AI spending.

OpenAI and Anthropic are competing with companies developing open-weight models that can be deployed at a lower cost. Chinese technology companies like Alibaba, Moonshot AI and DeepSeek have emerged as notable players in this segment. The cost advantage of these open-weight models has increased pressure on leading AI labs.

Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 release also comes amid an ongoing discussion around the development and safety of advanced AI systems. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei had recently called for the AI industry to slow down the development of increasingly advanced systems as concerns about AI safety intensified. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk also called for an industry-wide development slowdowN.

OpenAI's new GPT-6 Sol is priced at $2 (roughly Rs. 191) per 1 million input tokens and $10 (roughly Rs. 957) per 1 million output tokens through the API. The GPT-6 Luna, on the other hand, costs $0.10 (roughly Rs. 10) per 1 million input tokens and $0.50 (roughly Rs. 48) per 1 million output tokens.

Anthropic'S Opus 5.5 model is priced at $4 (roughly Rs. 320) per million input tokens and $20 (roughly Rs. 1,600) per million output tokens. Opus 5 costs $5 (roughly Rs. 400) per million input tokens and $25 (roughly Rs. 2,500) per million output tokens.