Chinese users praise OpenAI’s GPT-5.6  for efficiency, even at higher cost than local rivals

Chinese users praise OpenAI's GPT-5.6 for its efficiency despite higher costs than local rivals, accessing the blocked service via VPNs. The launch introduces three models—Sol, Terra, and Luna—with Terra offering GPT-5.5-level performance at half the price, signaling an industry shift toward cost-efficient enterprise AI.

Chinese users praise OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 for efficiency, even at higher cost than local rivals The release of the new models signals a broader industry shift towards cost-efficient AI systems designed for enterprise use Minxiao Chang /author/minxiao-chang in Shenzhen OpenAI’s latest GPT-5.6 release marks a growing emphasis on cost-efficiency, a move welcomed by some users in China who continue to access the blocked service via virtual private networks VPNs and third-party proxies, even as the artificial intelligence model remains more expensive than local rivals. The launch on Thursday introduced a trio of models tailored to different capabilities, speeds and price points: the flagship Sol, the balanced Terra and the lightweight Luna. According to OpenAI, Terra delivers performance comparable to its predecessor, GPT-5.5, at roughly half the price, while Luna is engineered to offer robust capabilities at low inference cost. The release signals a broader industry shift towards cost-efficient AI systems designed for enterprise use, said Li Yitao, a Chinese entrepreneur and co-founder of Canada-based AI start-up Quotaflow. GPT-5.6 Sol is priced at US$5 per million input tokens and US$30 per million output tokens, while Terra costs US$2.50 and US$15, respectively. Luna, the entry-level one, is priced at US$1 for input tokens and US$6 for output tokens. Despite the price cuts compared with previous products, OpenAI’s flagship and mid-tier models remain more expensive than major rivals from China. Zhipu AI’s GLM-5.2, for instance, charges about US$1.40 per million input tokens and US$4.40 per million output tokens, while DeepSeek V4 is priced at up to US$0.44 per million input tokens and US$0.87 for output.