SpaceXAI releases Grok 4.5, described as an 'Opus-class model'
Original: SpaceXAI releases Grok 4.5, which Elon describes as an ‘Opus-class model’
Why This Matters
Grok 4.5's aggressive pricing and efficiency claims intensify competition among top-tier AI model providers.
SpaceXAI launched Grok 4.5 on July 8, 2026, its first model release since going public. CEO Elon Musk called it 'Opus-class' on X, pricing it at $2/million input tokens and $6/million output tokens — significantly cheaper than Anthropic's Opus 4.7 at $5 and $25 respectively.
SpaceXAI officially released Grok 4.5 on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, marking its first major model launch since the company's recent IPO. According to a company blog post, Grok 4.5 is positioned as a general-purpose workhorse capable of coding, app-building, office work, research, and writing, while delivering 'twice greater token efficiency' than competing leading models.
Elon Musk posted on X: '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.' He later added that internally, Grok 4.5 is 'roughly comparable to Opus 4.7, but much faster.'
Pricing is set at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens. By comparison, Anthropic's Opus 4.7 costs $5 per million input and $25 per million output tokens. OpenAI's Sol costs $5 input/$30 output, while its Luna tier is $1 input/$6 output. SpaceXAI's benchmarks show Grok 4.5 as competitive with top rivals, though not best-in-class. The release coincides with OpenAI's planned Thursday launch of GPT 5.6, described as its 'strongest model yet,' previously delayed by the Trump administration over security concerns.