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Anthropic Skips to Opus 5.5, Slashes Prices to Challenge GPT-6

Anthropic's Bold Leap: Opus 5.5 Leaked, Prices Cut in Half

In a move that has Silicon Valley buzzing, Anthropic appears to be skipping its expected Opus 5.2 release and jumping straight to Claude Opus 5.5. The model, codenamed claude-wafer-eap, is reportedly in internal testing and could launch as early as this Tuesday. Developer Lyra first broke the news, and if true, it signals Anthropic's intent to disrupt the market in a big way.

Pricing That Raises Eyebrows

The leaked pricing list is equally aggressive: $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens—a 20% drop from Opus 5's $5 and $25. Even more striking, cache reads are priced at just $0.2 per million tokens. For enterprises building long-context AI agents, this could mean a tenfold reduction in costs. Anthropic seems to be positioning its top-tier model as an everyday tool, not a luxury.

Performance That Turns Heads

Early testers are raving. Developer Harshith built a detailed 3D model of a Waymo self-driving car, complete with the Jaguar logo and roof-mounted lidar, using only 1,400 input tokens and 532,000 output tokens. Another tester, Veee, created a web-based 3D car display and even a fully interactive Wall-E console. The consensus: Opus 5.5 shows a "generation gap" in problem-solving, code refactoring, and long-term planning compared to Opus 5.

Fable 5.2: The Quiet Contender

While Opus grabs headlines, Anthropic's Fable line is also advancing. Developer Pankaj Kumar got early access to Fable 5.2 and reports its 3D generation now rivals or surpasses Astra. He generated a cliffside villa with flawless lighting and a complete Three.js game with polished UI—all without detailed prompts. Another tester created a miniature world in native JS, rendering a Claude mascot entirely in code. The model's ability to grasp user intent with minimal input is impressive.

The Bigger Picture: A Three-Way Race

The timing is no accident. OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra has pushed scientific reasoning to new heights, but its high cost keeps it out of reach for many. Google's Gemini 4 Pro is also on the horizon, aiming to restore Google's dominance. Anthropic, meanwhile, is making a calculated play: skip versions, cut prices, and launch a surprise before OpenAI's Developer Conference. CEO Dario Amodei recently called for slowing down AI development, yet behind the scenes, Anthropic is sprinting. The goal? Capture developers' wallets and ease IPO jitters.

As the three giants jostle for position, one thing is clear: the real showdown is just days away. This Tuesday in Silicon Valley might be another sleepless night.

Key Points:

  • Anthropic skips Opus 5.2, jumps to Opus 5.5 (codenamed claude-wafer-eap), already in internal testing.
  • Leaked pricing: $4/million input tokens, $20/million output tokens—half the cost of Opus 5.
  • Early testers praise Opus 5.5's problem-solving and code generation, with dramatic cost savings.
  • Fable 5.2 also in testing, showing advanced 3D and game generation capabilities.
  • Move targets GPT-6 and aims to win developers before Anthropic's IPO.