Last updated: 2026-06-14
Groq delivers ultra-fast, affordable AI inference via Language Processing Units. Free tier, OpenAI compatible, 275+ tokens/sec on Llama 3.3 70B. Start for free.
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Groq is an AI inference platform delivering ultra-fast, cost-effective language model inference through its proprietary Language Processing Unit (LPU) technology. Founded in 2016 by former Google TPU engineers, Groq offers GroqCloud, a cloud-based API providing access to leading open-source models including Llama, Qwen, Mixtral, and OpenAI's GPT-OSS series. The LPU architecture is purpose-built for inference, achieving record-breaking throughput (1,000+ tokens/second on certain models) and minimal latency (sub-300ms first-token response times) compared to GPU-based competitors. Groq serves over 2 million developers globally and enterprise clients including McLaren F1 Team, enabling real-time AI applications with deterministic, predictable performance. The platform supports full OpenAI API compatibility, making integration seamless for existing projects.
Free tier with daily request limits (14,400 req/day on Llama 3.1 8B, 6,000 on Llama 3.3 70B). Pay-as-you-go pricing: Llama 3.1 8B at $0.05 input/$0.08 output per 1M tokens; Llama 3.3 70B at $0.59 input/$0.79 output; GPT-OSS 120B premium tier available. Batch API offers 50% discount for non-urgent workloads. Enterprise custom pricing available.
Groq is an AI inference platform delivering ultra-fast, low-cost language model inference through its proprietary Language Processing Unit (LPU) technology. Founded in 2016 by former Google TPU engineers, Groq's GroqCloud API provides access to open-source models including Llama, Qwen, Mixtral, and OpenAI's GPT-OSS series. The platform achieves over 1,000 tokens/second on certain models with sub-300ms first-token latency and serves over 2 million developers globally.
Groq offers free-tier API access with rate limits suitable for development and testing. Paid usage is billed per token, with pricing varying by model — typically a fraction of equivalent GPU-based inference costs from competitors. Enterprise plans with dedicated capacity are available for high-volume customers like the McLaren F1 Team.
Groq's core feature is its LPU architecture, purpose-built for inference rather than training, delivering record-breaking throughput of 1,000+ tokens/second and deterministic, predictable latency under 300ms for first tokens. The platform offers full OpenAI API compatibility, making it a drop-in replacement for existing applications, with access to Llama, Qwen, Mixtral, and GPT-OSS models.
Yes, Groq provides a free tier with rate-limited API access to its hosted open-source models, suitable for prototyping. Production workloads requiring higher rate limits move to pay-per-token pricing.
Groq is best for developers and enterprises building real-time AI applications — voice agents, live chat, agentic workflows — where response latency under 300ms matters. It is not a model developer itself; users seeking proprietary frontier models like GPT-5 or Claude should look elsewhere, as Groq serves open-source and open-weight models.
Groq's LPU hardware delivers significantly higher tokens-per-second throughput than GPU-based inference providers like Together AI or Replicate for supported models, with more predictable latency. The tradeoff is a narrower model selection focused on open-source models rather than proprietary frontier LLMs.
Yes, GroqCloud offers full OpenAI API compatibility, so existing applications built against the OpenAI SDK can switch to Groq by changing the base URL and API key with minimal code changes.
Yes, Groq serves enterprise clients including the McLaren F1 Team with dedicated capacity and SLAs for real-time AI applications requiring deterministic, low-latency inference at scale.