OpenAI ships GPT-6.1 Sol after shelving Astra
Sol is in ChatGPT Work and Codex, not in ordinary chat. The model OpenAI pulled for safety is a different release.
SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI put GPT-6.1 Sol on sale at DevDay on 29 September, one day after it confirmed that GPT-6.1 Astra would not ship in October. The two names are easy to collapse. They are not the same release.
Sol is described by the company as close to GPT-6 Astra on coding, computer use and professional work, at a lower API price. The API name is gpt-6.1-sol. It is in ChatGPT Work and Codex for Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and education plans. Simon Willison, writing from the keynote, noted that it is not in ordinary ChatGPT. Astra remains the flagship, and it is the model that failed OpenAI’s internal bar on scope, authorisation and telling the user what it had done.
A procurement note that says “GPT-6.1” is not a specification. The buyer has to name which model, which product surface, and which safety limit applies. A contract that accepts Astra because Sol was demonstrated has bought a model the vendor has already said it will not release on that timetable.
The comparison page on 54east is where that distinction belongs. https://54east.ai/compare/
