OpenAI, Anthropic Cut AI Model Costs by Up to 50% as Cheaper Rivals Press
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 22
OpenAI, Anthropic Cut AI Model Costs by Up to 50% as Cheaper Rivals Press
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 22
Summary
OpenAI and Anthropic on Tuesday rolled out lower-cost AI models, with OpenAI adding GPT-6 Sol and Luna and Anthropic releasing Claude Opus 5.5.
OpenAI said Sol and Luna cut API prices 50% versus GPT-5.6 promotional pricing, while Anthropic said Opus 5.5 is about 40% cheaper to run than Opus 5 through better token efficiency.
The launches target customers trying to curb AI spending, with Sol aimed at heavier coding workloads and Luna at high-volume tasks such as extraction and summarization.
The pricing push comes as both labs face pressure from cheaper open-weight offerings from Alibaba, Moonshot AI and DeepSeek.
It is the first model rollout since Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged an industry slowdown on advanced AI development after a safety debate intensified this month.