SpaceXAI launches Grok 4.5, claims faster performance and lower costs than rival AI models

SpaceXAI has unveiled Grok 4.5, the company's latest large language model and its first major AI release since going public. The launch arrives at a time when competition among leading AI developers is increasingly centred not only on model capability but also on the cost and efficiency of running advanced systems at scale.

According to the company, Grok 4.5 is designed to handle a broad range of day-to-day professional tasks, including software development, application building, research, writing and office work. Rather than positioning the model around a single speciality, SpaceXAI is presenting it as an all-purpose system capable of supporting routine knowledge work across industries.

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SpaceXAI launches Grok 4.5 with focus on speed and pricing

One of the company's biggest claims is that Grok 4.5 delivers significantly better token efficiency than competing models. SpaceXAI says the new model uses tokens twice as efficiently as other leading AI systems, a metric that could translate into lower operating costs if the performance holds up in real-world deployments. Token usage has become an increasingly important consideration for businesses adopting generative AI, as inference costs remain one of the biggest barriers to large-scale implementation.

Alongside the announcement, SpaceXAI released benchmark results intended to demonstrate Grok 4.5's competitiveness against other frontier AI models. While the published scores place the model among the industry's strongest offerings, the company stopped short of claiming outright leadership across every benchmark.

Musk compares Grok to Anthropic's Opus as AI competition intensifies

Founder Elon Musk also promoted the launch on X, the social media platform owned by SpaceXAI, highlighting both the model's performance and economics.

"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 expanded on that comparison, adding, "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."

SpaceXAI has priced Grok 4.5 at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens, placing it among the more aggressively priced frontier AI models. By comparison, Anthropic's Opus 4.7 costs $5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens.

OpenAI's pricing varies across its model range. Its premium Sol model is priced at $5 per million input tokens and $30 per million output tokens, while the more affordable Luna model costs $1 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens.

The release also comes during one of the busiest weeks for the AI industry. OpenAI is expected to launch GPT 5.6, its newest flagship model, on Thursday after its broader rollout was reportedly delayed by the Trump administration over security-related concerns. OpenAI has described GPT 5.6 as its most capable model to date.

With Grok 4.5 now entering the market, SpaceXAI is attempting to compete on three fronts simultaneously: model capability, response speed and operating costs. Whether those claims hold up outside internal testing will become clearer as developers and enterprise customers begin evaluating the model against rival offerings from OpenAI and Anthropic.