Groq

Overview

Groq is a semiconductor and inference platform company that developed the Language Processing Unit (LPU), custom hardware specifically designed for sequential processing of language models that delivers unprecedented inference speed, achieving 500-800 tokens per second for large language models—10-20x faster than typical GPU-based inference. Unlike GPUs optimized for parallel training workloads, Groq's LPU architecture eliminates memory bottlenecks and provides deterministic performance with near-instant first token latency often under 100ms and sustained high throughput even at scale. This breakthrough performance enables real-time conversational AI, instant document processing, and responsive interactive applications previously limited by LLM latency. Groq provides cloud API access to popular open-source models including Llama 3.1 (8B, 70B, 405B), Mixtral 8x7B, and Gemma running on LPU infrastructure with competitive pricing and generous free tiers making ultra-fast inference accessible to developers. With zero cold start latency, consistent performance, and OpenAI-compatible API, Groq is ideal for latency-sensitive applications like voice assistants, live customer support, real-time content moderation, interactive tutoring systems, and streaming applications where every millisecond matters.

Key Features

• Custom LPU hardware
• 500-800 tokens/s speed
• Sub-100ms first token
• 10-20x faster than GPU
• Llama 3.1, Mixtral, Gemma
• Free tier
• OpenAI-compatible API
• Consistent low latency

Use Cases

• Real-time voice assistants
• Live customer support
• Interactive coding assistants
• Real-time moderation
• Instant summarization
• High-frequency analysis

Technical Specifications

Groq LPU delivers deterministic performance: Llama 3.1 70B generates at 550+ tokens/s with 50-80ms first token latency. Llama 3.1 8B exceeds 800 tokens/s. Mixtral 8x7B achieves 450+ tokens/s. Context window up to 128k tokens for Llama 3.1. Zero cold start—models always warm. 99.9% uptime. OpenAI SDK compatible. Rate limits: 30 requests/min free tier.

Pricing

Free tier: 14,400 requests/day. Pay-as-you-go: Llama 3.1 70B $0.59/$0.79 per million tokens (input/output). Llama 3.1 8B $0.05/$0.08. Mixtral 8x7B $0.24/$0.24. Significantly cheaper than OpenAI, much faster. Enterprise: dedicated capacity, SLAs.

Code Example

from groq import Groq\nimport time\n\nclient = Groq(api_key="your_groq_api_key")\nstart = time.time()\n\nstream = client.chat.completions.create(\n    model="llama-3.1-70b-versatile",\n    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Explain quantum computing"}],\n    stream=True\n)\n\nfor chunk in stream:\n    if chunk.choices[0].delta.content:\n        print(chunk.choices[0].delta.content, end="")\n\nprint(f"\\nTime: {time.time()-start:.2f}s")

Professional Integration Services by 21medien

21medien offers comprehensive integration services for Groq, including API integration, workflow automation, performance optimization, and training programs. Schedule a free consultation through our contact page.

Resources

Official website: https://groq.com