The Threshold Report - report for 2026-09-12

Audio+10Sep 10

OpenAI releases GPT-Live-1 for simultaneous voice conversations

OpenAI released GPT-Live-1 in its API on Sept. 10, so developers can build voice agents without stitching together separate speech-to-text, language-model, and text-to-speech systems. The full-duplex model, meaning it listens and speaks at the same time, can delegate tool use and deeper reasoning to a backend model. Its front-end voice layer costs $0.05 per minute. OpenAI says GPT-Live-1 improved Full Duplex Bench by 30 points over GPT-Realtime-2.1 and ranked first on Tau3 when paired with GPT-6 Astra at medium reasoning.

SOURCES · openai.com

Agents+5Sep 14

Image: openai.com

Perplexity uses GPT-6 Astra to change production systems

On September 14, 2026, Perplexity said it uses GPT-6 Astra to write communications, change real-world systems, and monitor production software. The model handles end-to-end systems under the company’s supervision, extending its work beyond isolated tasks. Perplexity’s cofounder says the company checks in less frequently than it did with earlier models.

SOURCES · openai.com

Compute & Infra+5Sep 11

Image: openai.com

OpenAI rewrites core storage platform in Rust

Habitat, the storage platform behind ChatGPT, the API, Codex, and OpenAI’s internal services, now handles more than 70 million requests per second for products used by more than 1 billion people weekly, OpenAI said yesterday. In the second quarter, two engineers used Codex and GPT-5.5 to rewrite the service from Python to Rust. The Rust service now carries 95% of production traffic. By OpenAI’s measurements, it is six times more CPU-efficient and 15 times more memory-efficient than the Python version.

SOURCES · openai.com

Compute & Infra+5Sep 11

Image: canarymedia.com

SpaceXAI installs 720 battery containers at Memphis AI campus

Canary Media counted 720 Tesla Megapack containers at SpaceXAI’s Colossus 2 campus in July satellite images, according to its yesterday account. That count would equal about 2.8GWh and 720MW to 1,400MW, depending on the Megapack version. A SpaceXAI executive cited 3.3GWh in August, while Memphis Light, Gas and Water’s CEO described 2GW of behind-the-meter batteries, meaning storage connected on the campus side of the utility meter. The utility says the campus had to be able to come off the grid for four hours as a condition of its interconnection; storage at this scale can buffer peak demand and support curtailment when the grid is stressed.

SOURCES · canarymedia.com

Agents+2Sep 11

Image: openai.com

Cognition adds GPT-6 Astra to Devin testing workflows

Cognition said yesterday that it was using GPT-6 Astra across its products, including Devin, its cloud coding agent. For an iPhone game, Devin tests the app and returns a simulator recording with a report separating passed checks from those it did not test. Engineers receive evidence from the running app to review alongside the code change. Cognition also says a developer can send Devin a bug screenshot and receive a fix with an image showing the result.

SOURCES · openai.com

Science+2Sep 11

Image: openai.com

OpenAI expands GPT-Rosalind access worldwide

Yesterday, OpenAI opened GPT-Rosalind globally to eligible organizations through a trusted-access program, ending its research preview. Qualified researchers can connect literature evidence to biological data and run repeatable computer-based analysis workflows, with artifacts preserved for expert review. The update adds Codex plugins and biological-data viewers. OpenAI reports higher scores than GPT-5.5 on medicinal-chemistry, genomics, and wet-lab-protocol evaluations.

SOURCES · openai.com

Other News

ScienceSep 10

Image: theverge.com

OpenAI withdraws Caltech math-event sponsorship after criticism

Twenty-five Fields Medal recipients signed an open letter on Sept. 10, warning that rushed AI proof announcements can obscure methods, attribution, and scholarly review. A proof may take years to validate and teach, making clear provenance important for researchers assessing the work. After Caltech researchers criticized its sponsorship of an undergraduate mathematics hackathon, OpenAI withdrew from the event.

SOURCES · techcrunch.com · theverge.com

Upcoming

Announced or reported, but not yet real or available.

Compute & InfraAug 26

NVIDIA backs 6.5GW of planned AI capacity

Waiting on: Construction and service start - SemiAnalysis counts about 6.5GW of NVIDIA-backed capacity, much of it still unbuilt.

newsletter.semianalysis.com

Compute & InfraSep 8

Oracle seeks 2GW of renewable power for unfinished AI campus

Waiting on: Completion and permitting - Project Jupiter is 26% complete, and its air-quality permitting process is paused.

arstechnica.com

OpenAI releases GPT-Live-1 for simultaneous voice conversations

Perplexity uses GPT-6 Astra to change production systems

OpenAI rewrites core storage platform in Rust

SpaceXAI installs 720 battery containers at Memphis AI campus

Cognition adds GPT-6 Astra to Devin testing workflows

OpenAI expands GPT-Rosalind access worldwide

AI Investments

Security

Sakana releases four Fugu offerings through one API

New Mexico court fines lawyer over ChatGPT-invented witnesses

Other News

OpenAI withdraws Caltech math-event sponsorship after criticism

Upcoming

NVIDIA backs 6.5GW of planned AI capacity

Oracle seeks 2GW of renewable power for unfinished AI campus