Weekly LLM benchmark digest
DevDay: Dots, cheaper Sol, and faster Astra
OpenAI's DevDay keynote on September 29, 2026, introduced always-on agents, a cheaper model for complex work, and a faster way to run Astra. These are the releases we'd look at first.
The DevDay releases we'd look at first
Dots and Space bring ongoing work into ChatGPTDots keep working between conversations, using a cloud computer, a browser, and connected apps. Space puts shared pages and files beside that work, with teammates and Dots collaborating in the same place. Dots launch on Pro and Business Premium in eligible markets, with an admin-enabled Enterprise beta and gradual rollout. Space is available on all Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans. SMS access and presentations in Space are coming later.GPT-6.1 Sol lowers the price of complex workOpenAI positions Sol near Astra in capability, at a fifth of the price. Its Standard API rates are $2 input and $10 output per million tokens. Cache reads cost $0.10, a 95% input discount, while cache writes cost $2.50. Those base rates cover prompts up to 272,000 input tokens. The saving depends on reuse; we haven't independently measured the new model's quality.Ultrafast trades a higher bill for speedOpenAI claims up to eight times Standard token generation for Astra in Codex, reaching up to 300 tokens per second. Its official recap puts API speed at up to six times Standard. The keynote priced the tier at six times Standard. It announced Ultrafast across the API, ChatGPT, and Codex, with GPT-6.1 Sol support to follow. Pro 500 costs $500 a month and includes Astra Ultrafast access. Pro 200 reopens at $200. Faster generation doesn't make tests or other tool calls finish eight times sooner.Codex cloud and Agents API keep tasks runningCodex can continue work when your laptop closes, with handoff across phone, browser, and desktop. Codex Security Cloud adds cloud vulnerability scans and proposed fixes. The Agents API public beta exposes the managed Codex harness to developers, including durable sessions and orchestration. Decisions API, for quick choices from predefined options, and Private Intelligence were announced as previews.Your subscription can travel to supported appsSign in with ChatGPT can let eligible subscribers use their plan in participating applications. Sign-in and plan usage are separate permissions. Plugin extensions add fuller interfaces inside ChatGPT and Codex, and OpenAI Marketplace lets enterprise customers spend part of an existing commitment on partner software.
Analysis worth opening
Read the DevDay announcementsThe full post covers the keynote and official recap, including team tasks, Meetings, code review, and MCP events. It separates the September 29 releases from previews and later features. Start with the availability and price details before choosing what to try.Continue the discussion on X