Industry
Ted Sanders explains OpenAI's model naming conventions and the role of model size
Ted Sanders, likely an OpenAI insider, explains that LLM performance is highly multidimensional but that model size is the single variable explaining most variation. He outlines OpenAI's naming scheme where version numbers indicate release order, family relationships, and improvement magnitude—for example, 6.1 follows 5.6 and shares traits with other 6.1 models, while a jump to 7 would signal a major leap. The quote also notes that larger models (ordered Luna < Terra < Sol < Astra) are generally more performant, cost more per token, and have better recall of esoteric facts.
OpenAILLM performancemodel scaling