# Anthropic vs General Compute

> Anthropic sells closed Claude models known for agentic coding. General Compute serves cheap open models on ASIC decode through an OpenAI-format API.

Canonical: https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/anthropic-vs-general-compute · By The Subconscious Team · Updated October 27, 2026

## How they compare

Anthropic's Claude lineup runs from Fable 5.1 at $10 in and $50 out per million tokens down to Haiku 5.5 at $0.10 in and $0.50 out, with a 1M window on every tier and cheap cache reads. It sells through its own API, Bedrock, Vertex AI and Microsoft Foundry. General Compute serves four open models, with the largest window on MiniMax M2.7 at 192K for $0.28 in and $1.20 out. It pairs GPU prefill with ASIC decode and reports over 1,000 tokens per second on GPT-OSS 120B in its own benchmark.

Anthropic is the pick for top-tier coding quality and long agent runs that need a 1M window. General Compute fits fast, cheap steps inside an agent where an open model does the job. It has no Anthropic Messages endpoint, so Claude SDK code and coding agents built on that format need an OpenAI-compatible client to use it.

## What each one does

### Anthropic

Anthropic sells the Claude family of closed models through its own API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI and Microsoft Foundry. The public lineup today runs from Claude Fable 5.1 at the top, released September 1, 2026, through Opus 5.5 ($4 in, $20 out) and Sonnet 5.5 ($2 in, $10 out) down to Haiku 5.5. List prices span a hundredfold range, from $10 in and $50 out on Fable to $0.10 in and $0.50 out on Haiku. All four tiers have a 1M token context window. The top three bill it at standard pricing, while Haiku 5.5 charges more past 100K.

### General Compute

General Compute is a San Francisco inference cloud built on alternative chips. It splits each request across hardware, with NVIDIA GPUs handling prefill and ASICs from Cerebras, SambaNova, Positron AI and d-Matrix handling decode. In its own open benchmark on GPT-OSS 120B it measured 1,025 to 1,234 output tokens per second against 100 to 121 on an unnamed GPU cloud, and up to 16.2x faster end to end. Founders Finn Puklowski and Jason Goodison raised a $15M seed led by FUSE, an up to $400M debt facility from Upper90 and, on October 27, 2026, a $100M Series A co-led by Blackbird and Abstract.

## Which is best, and when

### Choose Anthropic for

- Agentic coding and code review
- Long-running agents with 1M context
- Buying through every major cloud

### Choose General Compute for

- Fast, cheap sub-steps in agent loops
- OpenAI-format open model endpoints
- ASIC decode speed

## At a glance

| Attribute | Anthropic | General Compute |
|---|---|---|
| Model access | Closed | Open weights |
| Flagship models | Claude Fable 5.1, Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5 | MiniMax M2.7, DeepSeek V3.2, GPT-OSS 120B |
| Speed | Fable is the slowest tier | 1,000+ tok/s on GPT-OSS 120B (vendor) |
| Price | $0.10–$10 in, $0.50–$50 out per 1M | $0.21–$0.28 in, $0.38–$1.20 out per 1M |
| Customization | N/A | Custom LoRA and fine-tuned checkpoints |
| Deployment | API, Bedrock, Vertex AI, Microsoft Foundry | Serverless API, dedicated racks, bare metal |
| Long context | 1M; Haiku 5.5 costs more past 100K | 192K (MiniMax M2.7) |

## FAQ

### What is the difference between Anthropic and General Compute?

Anthropic sells closed Claude models known for agentic coding. General Compute serves cheap open models on ASIC decode through an OpenAI-format API.

### When should I choose Anthropic over General Compute?

Agentic coding and code review; Long-running agents with 1M context; Buying through every major cloud.

### When should I choose General Compute over Anthropic?

Fast, cheap sub-steps in agent loops; OpenAI-format open model endpoints; ASIC decode speed.

### Is Anthropic or General Compute cheaper?

Anthropic: $0.10–$10 in, $0.50–$50 out per 1M. General Compute: $0.21–$0.28 in, $0.38–$1.20 out per 1M. The cheaper choice depends on the model and workload.

### Which has more context, Anthropic or General Compute?

Anthropic: 1M; Haiku 5.5 costs more past 100K. General Compute: 192K (MiniMax M2.7).

## Running long-horizon agents?

If your agents run past 200K tokens, compare both against Subconscious: [Subconscious vs Anthropic](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-anthropic.md), [Subconscious vs General Compute](https://www.subconscious.dev/compare/subconscious-vs-general-compute.md).

Full profiles: [Anthropic](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/anthropic.md), [General Compute](https://www.subconscious.dev/providers/general-compute.md).