- Google launched Gemini 3.7 Flash on Thursday, a low-cost model for coding and agents, now generally available in over 160 countries.
- OpenAI previewed GPT-5.6 Sol Ultrafast, a Cerebras-powered tier running its most capable model up to 14× faster, but it remains invite-only.
- The AI speed race has shifted from raw intelligence to real-time agents for business workflows, with only Google’s model accessible to all developers today.
Both Google and OpenAI pushed the same message on Thursday: AI is now fast enough to feel impressive for agent-based users. Google shipped Gemini 3.7 Flash, a model tuned for software coding and autonomous business workflows that is now generally available. OpenAI opened a limited preview of GPT-5.6 Sol Ultrafast, a new service tier that runs its most capable model at up to 750 output tokens per second, powered by chipmaker Cerebras.
Gemini 3.7 Flash handles up to one million input tokens and returns 64,000, processing text, images, video, audio and PDFs while controlling tools and computers. The model is not sacrificing quality for speed, completing a test coding task in two minutes and 13 seconds compared to over five minutes for its predecessor. Google‘s benchmark sheet puts Gemini 3.7 Flash ahead of Claude Sonnet 5 and GPT-5.6 Terra on 11 of 18 tested categories, including a top Code Arena web-dev score of 1,588 Elo.
The model is also cheap at 75 cents per million input tokens and $3.75 per million output tokens through year-end, half of Gemini 3.6 Flash’s original rate. That intro price expires December 31, then doubles to $1.50 and $7.50. OpenAI hasn’t published head-to-head scores for Ultrafast beyond customer quotes, with Podium product lead Courtland Lykins saying the speed “completely changes the call experience.”
The speed push lands as labs pivot from intelligence to agent readiness, with Google‘s timing pointed amid a DeepMind leadership reshuffle. Gemini 3.7 Flash is live now in more than 160 countries, while GPT-5.6 Sol Ultrafast remains invite-only.
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