SpaceXAI launches Grok 4.5, an ‘Opus-class model’ per Elon
▼ Summary
– SpaceXAI released Grok 4.5, its first model since going public, designed for tasks like coding, research, and clerical work.
– The model offers “twice greater token efficiency” than leading models, potentially lowering costs for AI consumers.
– Benchmark metrics show Grok 4.5 is competitive with top models from competitors but falls just short of best-in-class.
– Elon Musk stated Grok 4.5 is an Opus-class model that is faster, more token-efficient, and lower cost than Anthropic’s Opus 4.7.
– Pricing is $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens, undercutting competitors like Opus 4.7 and OpenAI’s models.
SpaceXAI has unveiled Grok 4.5, its first major model release since the company went public a few weeks ago. The announcement positions this new offering as a versatile workhorse designed to handle the full spectrum of tasks the AI industry is racing to automate, including coding, app development, clerical work, research, writing, and other routine knowledge tasks.
According to a blog post published Wednesday, SpaceXAI claims that Grok 4.5 delivers “twice greater token efficiency” than competing models, a metric that could translate into significant cost savings for users. If this efficiency holds up in real-world scenarios, it would be a major competitive edge, as rising token costs have become a pressing concern for AI consumers.
The company released benchmark data on Wednesday showing that Grok 4.5 holds its own against top-tier models from rivals, though it falls just short of the absolute best in class. Founder Elon Musk took to his social media platform X, which is a subsidiary of SpaceXAI, to compare the model directly to Anthropic’s Opus, a large language model built for intensive and complex tasks.
“Based on strong positive feedback from customers in our beta test program, @SpaceXAI will make Grok 4.5 available to the public tomorrow. It is an Opus-class model, but faster, more token-efficient and lower cost,” Musk wrote. He later added, “Our internal assessment is that Grok 4.5 is roughly comparable to Opus 4.7, but much faster. The combination of capability, faster speed and lower cost is what makes it competitive.”
Pricing for Grok 4.5 is set at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens. That is highly competitive, provided the model’s real-world performance matches the company’s claims. For context, Anthropic’s Opus 4.7 costs $5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens. OpenAI offers a tiered pricing structure: its most expensive model, Sol, charges $5 for 1 million input tokens and $30 for 1 million output tokens, while its cheapest option, Luna, costs $1 for 1 million input tokens and $6 for 1 million output tokens.
This week is shaping up to be a major one for AI model releases. OpenAI is scheduled to launch GPT 5.6 on Thursday, which it describes as its “strongest model yet.” The release was previously delayed by the Trump administration over concerns about its security implications.
(Source: TechCrunch)
