OpenAI released a new family of models on Thursday, adding GPT-5.6 to a crowded market.
The models
The launch includes three versions. Sol acts as the standard workhorse. Terra sits in the middle. Luna targets budget-conscious users. OpenAI states these tools improve results in enterprise work, coding, and scientific research.
CEO Sam Altman told CNBC the new systems are far more efficient than older ones. He noted Sol uses 54% fewer tokens for coding tasks.
The company highlights security as a major strength. It claims GPT-5.6 offers frontier-level performance with significantly fewer tokens. This focus came after the Trump administration tried to block its release due to misuse concerns.
The model supports defensive work. Users can use it for threat modeling, code review, patching, and blue teaming. Blue teaming involves simulating attacks on your own systems to find weaknesses before real hackers do.
OpenAI also launched ChatGPT Work. This tool runs on desktop, web, and mobile. It helps teams with daily clerical tasks like drafting documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Other firms released similar products this week. SpaceXAI and Meta both made moves in the same direction.
However, the marketing for GPT-5.6 appears aimed at Anthropic. That competitor has built a strong reputation among enterprise customers. OpenAI cites the Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index to claim its models beat Anthropic’s at every turn.
OpenAI calls Sol its best coding model yet. It explicitly compares Sol to Anthropic’s recently released Fable. Using the Coding Agent Index, OpenAI claims Sol sets a new state of the art at 80.2.8 points above Fable 5. It also uses less than half the output tokens, takes less than half the time, and costs about one-third less.
The advantage extends across the family. Terra performs just above Fable 5. Luna outperforms Opus 4.8.
GPT-5.6 is now available on ChatGPT, Codex, and the OpenAI API. Pricing per million tokens is as follows: Sol is $5 for input and $30 for output. Terra is $2.50 for input and $15 for output. Luna is $1 for input and $6 for output.
What it means
Developers and business users now have a cheaper option for heavy coding and security work. The lower token cost means projects that previously stretched budgets can run on Sol or Terra without sacrificing speed. Teams using ChatGPT Work may find administrative overhead drops as the tool handles document and spreadsheet creation directly.
