Claude Opus 5.5 Fast Mode (Generally Available)

A faster way to run Opus 5.5 through the Claude API, now open to all developers with no waitlist, at a premium price.

Runs the same Opus 5.5 model with a faster serving setup, so answers come out up to 2.5x faster with no change in quality
The speed gain is in how quickly text streams out, not in how fast the first word appears
Priced at $8 per million input tokens and $40 per million output tokens
Turned on per request with a single setting; no access request or beta flag needed for Opus 5.5 any more
Available on the Claude API, Claude Managed Agents, and Microsoft Foundry deployments hosted on Azure, with Google Cloud coming soon. Not available with the Batch API
Fast mode inside Claude Code is unchanged and still draws on extra usage credits

Apps and agents where waiting on long Opus 5.5 responses slows people down.

Developers building on the Claude API or Managed Agents who already pay for Opus 5.5 and want faster output.

Speed of the answer matters more than cost, for example live user-facing tools or tight agent loops.

Staying informed is great. Staying ahead is better.

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