OpenAI has reduced the API price of GPT-5.6 Luna by approximately 80%, only weeks after introducing the GPT-5.6 model family. The company has also launched a separate initiative offering advanced ChatGPT access to as many as 100,000 academic researchers through 2027.
The price reduction specifically applies to GPT-5.6 Luna, the family’s fastest and lowest-cost model, rather than every GPT-5.6 model. Its input price has reportedly fallen from $1 to $0.20 per million tokens, while output pricing has dropped from $6 to $1.20. GPT-5.6 Terra also received a smaller reduction of around 20%, while flagship GPT-5.6 Sol pricing remains unchanged.
OpenAI attributed the lower prices to improvements in system efficiency. The move arrives as businesses pay closer attention to the cost of deploying generative AI at scale and as competition increases among American and international model providers.
In a separate program, selected researchers will reportedly receive free access to GPT-5.6 Sol Pro and may invite collaborators from their institutions. The initiative is aimed primarily at researchers working in science and mathematics rather than exclusively in artificial-intelligence research.
OpenAI has said it wants frontier AI to help scientists evaluate ideas, test hypotheses and move more quickly from early discoveries to validated results. The company is working with universities, national laboratories, government agencies and researchers to increase the use of advanced models in scientific work.
Together, the pricing changes and research-access program show OpenAI attempting to expand adoption at both the commercial and academic levels.
