Anthropic rolls out a fast mode for Claude Opus 4.6 in research preview, saying it offers the same model quality at 2.5x faster but costs 6x more
excited that we're making it available outside Anthropic too.Dean W. Ball /@deanwball:I would like to know more about the experimental Claude scaffold that caused Opus 4.6 to more than double its performance in optimizing GPU kernels over the standard scaffold [image]@github:We've been testing this all morning and we're loving the speed ⚡️ Copilot Pro+ users now have access to fast mode for Claude Opus 4.6 in research preview. Let us know what you think 👀Dylan Field /@zoink:Opus 4.6 (fast mode)
Simon Willison's WeblogSimon Willison
Context & Ripple Effects
Anthropic had positioned Opus 4.6 around concentrating effort on difficult work; the fast-mode preview turns that claimed capability into a more explicit choice between response time and spending. It follows the company’s earlier emphasis on Opus for coding, agents, and computer use.
The rollout also reaches a managed distribution channel through Copilot Pro+, making inference configuration a product-level decision for users rather than an internal Anthropic optimization alone.
First-order effects
Copilot Pro+ users and other preview participants can select faster Opus 4.6 responses while facing a reported sixfold cost premium, forcing immediate workload-by-workload trade-offs.
Anthropic can test demand for premium low-latency inference separately from baseline model quality, while GitHub gains a differentiated high-speed option for its paid users.
Second-order effects
Teams using Claude for coding or agent workflows will have reason to reserve fast mode for latency-sensitive tasks and keep standard mode for cost-sensitive volume, increasing the importance of routing and usage controls.
Managed AI platforms competing for developer workloads may be pushed to expose clearer speed, quality, and price tiers rather than treat a model endpoint as a single undifferentiated service.
Third-order effects
If premium fast paths sustain demand, frontier-model competition will increasingly center on inference operations and capacity allocation alongside benchmark-level model capability.
The reported interest in a scaffold that improved GPU-kernel optimization suggests that application-layer orchestration could become a meaningful source of performance differentiation, though the underlying result is not independently detailed here.
The trend: Frontier AI providers are turning the latency-cost-quality trade-off into a visible product tier, making inference economics part of the customer experience.
Our teams have been building with a 2.5x-faster version of Claude Opus 4.6. We're now making it available as an early experiment via Claude Code and our API.
i much prefer codex over claude code as a coding agent BUT opus 4.6 is so good for just chatting. way better than the others. smarter, more creative, feel more natural. has really good ideas and analysis
Open models show 2.5x faster, 6x more expensive Lower batch size, speculative decoding harder Pareto optimal curve for Deepseek at https://inferencemax.ai/ shows this Claude Opus 4.6 is 100 Tok/s/user Deepseek at 100 is 6k Tok/s/GPU At 250 tok/s/user it's closer to 1k [image]
I've spent all my time after switching to Labs building with fast Opus and it's a crazy unlock — excited that we're making it available outside Anthropic too.
I would like to know more about the experimental Claude scaffold that caused Opus 4.6 to more than double its performance in optimizing GPU kernels over the standard scaffold [image]
We've been testing this all morning and we're loving the speed ⚡️ Copilot Pro+ users now have access to fast mode for Claude Opus 4.6 in research preview. Let us know what you think 👀
Opus 4.6 (fast mode) is... really fast! I was very impressed by the speed and quality. Reply to the Figma post below with something awesome you've created in Figma Make and we'll DM you for special access this weekend!
This has one been one of my biggest productivity boosts of the past year. Highly recommend trying this out, in some ways it feels just as impactful as a model intelligence upgrade.
Calling all builders! Opus 4.6 is here. We want to see what you can create with it. → $100k prize pool → $500 in API credits to build → Hack Feb 10 - Feb 16, party in SF to celebrate Feb 21 I'm honored to be one of the judges and can't wait to see what you'll build. [video]
Fast mode is available now for Claude Code users with extra usage enabled (use /fast). It's also available in research preview on @cursor_ai, @emergentlabs, @FactoryAI, @figma, @github Copilot, @Lovable, @v0, and @windsurf.
🏎️ Fast mode for @AnthropicAI's Claude Opus 4.6 is rolling out in research preview on GitHub Copilot. Get 2.5x faster token speeds with the same frontier intelligence—now at promotional price of 9 premium requests through Feb 16. This release is early and experimental. Try it
Lovable now supports Claude Opus 4.6 with fast mode (research preview) for select tasks. 2.5x faster code generation with the same Opus-level intelligence.
We granted all current Claude Pro and Max users $50 in free extra usage. This credit can be used on fast mode for Opus 4.6 in Claude Code. To use, claim the credit and toggle on extra usage on https://claude.ai/.... Then, run ‘claude update && claude’ and ‘/fast’. Enjoy!
Opus 4.6 (fast mode) is now available in Windsurf in research preview! It's just as smart as regular Opus 4.6 but runs up to 2.5x faster. Users will have access to promo pricing until Feb 16. Let us know what you think. [image]
This is true of the Claude app as well. All other aspects of my machine function normally; Claude Code is a resource hog but not machine-stoppingly so. there is something wrong with these GUI apps and it seems not insane to wonder if the vibe-coding helps explain it.
We just launched an experimental new fast mode for Opus 4.6. The team has been building with it for the last few weeks. It's been a huge unlock for me personally, especially when going back and forth with Claude on a tricky problem.
Opus 4.6 Fast is the fastest SOTA model we've tried in Windsurf yet. It's able to reason to reason through complex problems at the same level as Opus 4.6 while achieving up to 2.5x faster output token speeds
Use /fast to enable. It uses a lot more compute than Opus 4.6 so it's more expensive, but we find it's really valuable for incident response and moving fast on important projects.
Anthropic's research preview for Claude Opus 4.6 (Fast mode) is here, and it's in Figma Make for a limited time (for free and 2.5x the speed) Show us what you've made in Make and we'll DM you for special access through the weekend [image]
It didn't take 20 years, it took less than 3 🤡 [Quotes his post from 2023: “As a software developer, I think GPT-3 & friends and beyond is the real next-gen step-change in software development, not SwiftUI. In 10, 20 years, I could see a future where that's how all programming i…
I thought Xcode developers like me were some of the very last to come to the realization that Claude and co had already taken over the industry, but nope, there are plenty of FOSS developers and adjacents right here living under a rock too 😅 — This switch has already happened, …