Simon Willison’s Weblog: gpt-5 and gpt-5-mini rate limit updates

Source URL: https://simonwillison.net/2025/Sep/12/gpt-5-rate-limits/#atom-everything
Source: Simon Willison’s Weblog
Title: gpt-5 and gpt-5-mini rate limit updates

Feedly Summary: gpt-5 and gpt-5-mini rate limit updates
OpenAI have increased the rate limits for their two main GPT-5 models. These look significant:

gpt-5
Tier 1: 30K → 500K TPM (1.5M batch)
Tier 2: 450K → 1M (3M batch)
Tier 3: 800K → 2M
Tier 4: 2M → 4M
gpt-5-mini
Tier 1: 200K → 500K (5M batch)

GPT-5 rate limits here show tier 5 stays at 40M tokens per minute. The GPT-5 mini rate limits for tiers 2 through 5 are 2M, 4M, 10M and 180M TPM respectively.
As a reminder, those tiers are assigned based on how much money you have spent on the OpenAI API – from $5 for tier 1 up through $50, $100, $250 and then $1,000 for tier
For comparison, Anthropic’s current top tier is Tier 4 ($400 spent) which provides 2M maximum input tokens per minute and 400,000 maximum output tokens, though you can contact their sales team for higher limits than that.
Gemini’s top tier is Tier 3 for $1,000 spent and currently gives you 8M TPM for Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash and 30M TPM for the Flash-Lite and 2.0 Flash models.
So OpenAI’s new rate limit increases for their top performing model pulls them ahead of Anthropic but still leaves them significantly behind Gemini.
GPT-5 mini remains the champion for smaller models with that enormous 180M TPS limit for its top tier.
Tags: ai, openai, generative-ai, llms, anthropic, gemini, llm-pricing, gpt-5

AI Summary and Description: Yes

Summary: OpenAI has significantly increased the rate limits for their GPT-5 models, which is a development with potential ramifications for AI security and infrastructure. This update positions OpenAI ahead of competitors like Anthropic but still trails behind Gemini, emphasizing the competitive landscape in generative AI capabilities.

Detailed Description: The recent updates to the rate limits for OpenAI’s GPT-5 models are noteworthy for professionals in AI, cloud, and infrastructure security as they alter the competitive landscape in the AI space. Here are the major points regarding the changes and their significance:

– **Increased Rate Limits**:
– **GPT-5 Model**:
– Tier 1: Increased from 30K to 500K tokens per minute (TPM) with a batch limit of 1.5M
– Tier 2: Increased from 450K to 1M TPM with a 3M batch limit
– Tier 3: Increased from 800K to 2M TPM
– Tier 4: Increased from 2M to 4M TPM
– **GPT-5 Mini**:
– Tier 1: Increased from 200K to 500K TPM with a batch limit of 5M
– Tier 5: Stays at 40M TPM while other tiers see significant increases.

– **Comparison With Competitors**:
– OpenAI’s new rate limits allow it to surpass Anthropic’s capabilities, which offers a maximum of 2M input tokens per minute at Tier 4 ($400 spent).
– While OpenAI has improved its position, it still lags behind Gemini’s offerings, which provide up to 30M TPM depending on the tier.

– **Significance for Security Professionals**:
– **Infrastructure Impact**: Higher rate limits may lead to increased usage and the necessity for robust infrastructure to handle the loads safely.
– **Security Considerations**: As more organizations adopt these models, the greater demand for secure configurations and adherence to best practices becomes essential to mitigate risks associated with data breaches or misuse of AI outputs.
– **Compliance Implications**: With increased capabilities also come regulatory considerations, especially concerning data privacy and security; organizations must ensure they comply with related laws and frameworks when leveraging these advanced AI tools.

This announcement highlights the competitive dynamics within the AI field, encouraging professionals to stay alert for advancements and adjustments in security protocols, given the escalating capabilities in AI, especially within generative AI contexts.