OpenAI rolls out Ultrafast mode for GPT 6.1 Sol in the API, Codex and ChatGPT Work
Ultrafast is rolling out today for GPT-6.1 Sol in the API, Codex, and ChatGPT Work. Near-Astra intelligence at up to 8x faster speeds than Sol Standard, so you can build as fast as the ideas come.
Context
Developers can now run GPT 6.1 Sol at up to 8x the speed of its standard mode, at six times the standard price per token.
OpenAI released GPT 6.1 Sol on September 29, describing it as near Astra intelligence at one fifth of GPT 6 Astra's standard API prices. OpenAI's API docs list Ultrafast as its fastest service tier, also available for GPT 6 Astra, with rate limits separate from Standard and Fast modes. OpenAI's Tibo posted the release as Day 4 in his numbered series of Codex updates, alongside instant steering in Codex.
Deep dive
OpenAI Developers announced on October 8 that Ultrafast is rolling out for GPT 6.1 Sol in the API, Codex and ChatGPT Work, describing it as near Astra intelligence at up to 8x faster speeds than Sol Standard. OpenAI says the tier is built for work where speed and intelligence make a difference, such as debugging an outage, agents navigating apps and live experiences.
In the API, OpenAI lists Ultrafast pricing for GPT 6.1 Sol at $12 per million input tokens and $60 per million output tokens. Its model page lists standard GPT 6.1 Sol pricing at $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens. Developers select the tier by setting service_tier to ultrafast, and OpenAI recommends WebSockets for agent apps that make many tool calls. Default Ultrafast limits for GPT 6.1 Sol range from 1 million tokens per minute on the Build tier to 40 million on the Grow tier.
In Codex and ChatGPT Work, access is limited to Pro 500, eligible usage based Enterprise plans and credit based Edu plans, and Enterprise admins must turn it on. OpenAI says Sol Ultrafast supports US and EU data residency, as well as global processing, while GPT 6 Astra Ultrafast supports US residency and global processing only.
What to expect next
Tibo has been posting numbered Codex updates, and OpenAI has not said what comes next. Open questions include how Ultrafast performs on full agent tasks rather than raw token speed, whether access in Codex and ChatGPT Work widens beyond Pro 500 and eligible Enterprise and Edu plans, and whether OpenAI raises the default API rate limits for the new tier.