Model Positioning
Next-gen frontier model focused on coding and complex reasoning. Expected to launch as GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.5.
Garlic-GPT Watch · Unofficial Deep Tracking
Garlic-GPT: Everything You Need to Know About OpenAI's Next-Gen Garlic Model
The definitive intelligence hub for OpenAI's internal "Garlic" model (GPT-5.2/5.5). Track coding & reasoning benchmarks, Gemini 3 comparisons, release timeline, enterprise migration guides, and developer tools—all in one place.
Section 2 · At a Glance
Garlic-GPT Key Highlights: What You Need to Know
Four essential points to quickly understand OpenAI's Garlic model positioning, performance expectations, and target audience.
Performance Edge
Internal benchmarks reportedly exceed Gemini 3 and Opus 4.5 in coding and reasoning tasks.
Efficiency Focus
Breakthrough in pretraining: smaller architecture with big-model knowledge, reducing inference costs.
Target Audience
Built for developers, AI product teams, and enterprises requiring reliable high-complexity reasoning.
Section 3 · Overview
What is Garlic-GPT? Understanding OpenAI's Garlic Model
Garlic-GPT is the external reference for OpenAI's internal codename "Garlic" model—a next-generation LLM designed to excel in code generation, debugging, and multi-step reasoning tasks.
Core Definition
The Garlic model represents OpenAI's strategic response to Google's Gemini 3 dominance. Internal evaluations show significant advantages in code generation, debugging, and complex reasoning over current flagship models.
View Garlic-GPT benchmarks →Technical Breakthrough
Garlic solves pretraining bottlenecks that plagued earlier projects. The result: a smaller architecture injected with "big model knowledge," achieving GPT-4.5-level performance with improved efficiency.
Learn about efficiency gains →Strategic Importance
Following Sam Altman's "Code Red" declaration, Garlic became OpenAI's priority project. It's positioned to reclaim leadership in coding, retrieval-augmented reasoning, and enterprise workflows.
Read about Code Red →
Section 4 · Strategic Context
Garlic-GPT Strategic Positioning: Challenging Gemini 3 & Opus 4.5
Understanding where Garlic fits in the AI landscape and why OpenAI prioritized its development over other projects.
Market Context: Google Gemini's monthly active users grew from 450M (July) to 650M (October 2025), closing the gap with ChatGPT's 800M weekly users.
The Competitive Landscape
After Google launched Gemini 3 and Anthropic released Opus 4.5, OpenAI initiated "Code Red"—an internal emergency status that redirected resources to ChatGPT improvements and accelerated Garlic development.
Garlic's mission is clear: regain the performance edge in coding, reasoning, and efficiency that defined OpenAI's early GPT-4 advantage. The model targets the same high-value use cases where Gemini 3 has been gaining ground.
View Development TimelineGarlic Model Target Areas
- Priority 1 Coding & Software Development
- Priority 2 Complex Multi-step Reasoning
- Priority 3 Inference Cost Optimization
- Secondary Agent & Workflow Automation
- Secondary Enterprise Integration
Section 5 · Timeline
Garlic-GPT Release Timeline & Development Roadmap
Key milestones from initial reports to expected GPT-5.2/5.5 launch, based on public reports and industry analysis.
Shallotpeat Project Initiated
OpenAI begins development of Shallotpeat to counter Gemini 3, encounters pretraining issues.
Garlic Project Launched
Separate Garlic project starts, incorporating bug fixes from Shallotpeat. Internal benchmarks begin.
Code Red Declared
Sam Altman announces internal emergency, pausing secondary projects to focus on ChatGPT and Garlic.
Internal Results Leaked
Reports emerge that Garlic outperforms Gemini 3 and Opus 4.5 in coding and reasoning benchmarks.
Post-training & Safety Evaluation
Expected completion of alignment, safety testing, and API preparation.
GPT-5.2/5.5 Public Launch
Garlic model expected to launch as GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.5 for developers and enterprises.
Source Note: Timeline compiled from reports by The Information, Seeking Alpha, India Express, and industry analysis. Dates for future events are projections, not official OpenAI announcements.
What to Expect at Launch
Based on OpenAI's historical release patterns and reported development focus, Garlic-GPT (as GPT-5.2/5.5) will likely include:
- ✓ Enhanced code generation and debugging capabilities
- ✓ Improved multi-step reasoning accuracy
- ✓ Lower inference costs per token
- ✓ API access with ChatGPT integration
- ✓ Enterprise features and security compliance
Section 6 · Performance
Garlic-GPT Performance & Benchmark Overview
Summary of expected Garlic-GPT performance across coding, reasoning, and efficiency benchmarks compared to current frontier models.
+15%
Expected Coding Improvement vs GPT-4.5
~30%
Projected Inference Cost Reduction
#1
Target Ranking: Coding Benchmarks
2026
Expected Release Year
Disclaimer: These figures are based on leaked internal reports and industry analysis. Official benchmarks will be published upon Garlic-GPT release. This section will be updated with verified data when available.
Coding Benchmarks
Garlic reportedly excels at code generation, debugging, cross-file understanding, and large codebase navigation. Expected to set new standards on SWE-bench and HumanEval.
Deep dive: Coding capabilities →Reasoning Benchmarks
Multi-step logic, mathematical reasoning, and complex problem-solving are core focus areas. GPQA and ARC benchmarks are primary targets.
Deep dive: Reasoning capabilities →Efficiency Metrics
The breakthrough: achieving large-model performance in a smaller architecture. This translates to faster inference and lower operational costs.
Deep dive: Efficiency gains →
Section 7 · For Developers
Garlic-GPT Coding Capabilities: Why Developers Should Care
Garlic-GPT is engineered for developers who need reliable code generation, intelligent debugging, and system-level understanding.
Expected Coding Advantages
Multiple reports indicate Garlic's primary development focus is on elevating coding assistance from "helpful autocomplete" to "intelligent engineering partner." Key improvements target:
Cross-file Understanding
Navigate and modify code across multiple files and modules coherently.
Complex Refactoring
Handle architectural changes and large-scale code transformations.
Intelligent Debugging
Trace bugs, explain root causes, and suggest verified fixes.
System Design
Provide architecture-level guidance, not just code snippets.
Developer Preparation Checklist
Steps you can take now to prepare for Garlic-GPT adoption:
- □ Abstract your model layer for easy switching
- □ Design flexible prompt templates
- □ Set up evaluation benchmarks for your use cases
- □ Document current model performance baselines
- □ Plan A/B testing infrastructure
Section 8 · Capabilities
Garlic-GPT Reasoning & Agent Capabilities
How Garlic-GPT's enhanced reasoning could enable more reliable AI agents and automated workflows.
Multi-step Reasoning
Garlic is designed to handle complex, multi-step logical chains with reduced hallucination and error accumulation—critical for reliable automation.
Agent Applications
Stable reasoning enables practical AI agents: automated DevOps, data analysis pipelines, and cross-system orchestration workflows.
Decision Support
From complex financial analysis to scientific research, Garlic's reasoning depth supports high-stakes decision-making with traceable logic.
Section 9 · Economics
Garlic-GPT Efficiency & Cost: Smaller Model, Bigger Performance
The Garlic model's key innovation: achieving frontier-level capabilities with improved training and inference efficiency.
The Efficiency Breakthrough
Reports indicate Garlic solved pretraining bottlenecks that limited earlier models. The result: a smaller architecture that encodes more knowledge per parameter, translating to:
- Cost Lower token pricing through reduced compute requirements
- Speed Faster inference for real-time applications
- Scale More affordable high-volume production deployments
- Access Potential for expanded free-tier capabilities
Enterprise Impact Calculator
Estimate potential savings when migrating from current models to Garlic-GPT.
Coming Soon
Our ROI calculator will help enterprises project cost savings based on current API usage, token volumes, and workflow requirements.
Get Notified When Available
Section 10 · Head-to-Head
Garlic-GPT vs Gemini 3 vs GPT-5.1 vs Claude 4.5: Complete Comparison
Comprehensive comparison matrix to help you understand where Garlic stands against current frontier models.
| Model | Coding Focus | Reasoning | Efficiency | Release | Primary Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Garlic-GPT
|
Early 2026 | High-value coding & reasoning | |||
|
Gemini 3 Pro
|
Released | General-purpose flagship | |||
|
GPT-5.1
|
Released | Balanced general model | |||
|
Claude Opus 4.5
|
Released | Safe, aligned reasoning |
Scores are projected based on leaked internal benchmarks and industry analysis. Official scores will be updated upon Garlic-GPT release. Percentages represent relative performance within each category.
Section 11 · Tools
Developer Tools & Resources for Garlic-GPT
Tools, scripts, and templates to help you prepare for and evaluate Garlic-GPT when it launches.
Model Comparison Dashboard
Interactive tool to compare Garlic-GPT against Gemini 3, GPT-5.1, and Claude across customizable metrics.
ROI Calculator
Estimate cost savings and performance gains when migrating from your current model to Garlic-GPT.
Migration Decision Guide
Step-by-step questionnaire to determine if and when you should switch to Garlic-GPT.
Prompt Template Library
Optimized prompt patterns for coding, reasoning, and agent workflows tailored for Garlic-GPT.
Evaluation Scripts
Pre-built testing frameworks to benchmark Garlic-GPT against your specific use cases.
Integration Roadmap
Downloadable template for planning your Garlic-GPT adoption from pilot to production.
Section 12 · Enterprise
Garlic-GPT for Enterprises: ROI Evaluation Framework
A structured approach for enterprise decision-makers evaluating Garlic-GPT adoption.
Step 1: Assess Current State
Inventory your current AI usage: models, costs, performance gaps, and pain points. Document baseline metrics for comparison.
Step 2: Plan Pilot Program
Identify low-risk, high-impact use cases for initial Garlic-GPT testing. Design success criteria and evaluation timeline.
Step 3: Scale with Governance
Coordinate technical, compliance, and financial stakeholders. Build rollout plan with risk mitigation strategies.
Section 13 · Applications
Garlic-GPT Use Cases & Industry Applications
Where Garlic-GPT's coding and reasoning strengths translate to real-world value.
Software Engineering
Code Generation & Review
Large codebase navigation, automated refactoring, intelligent PR reviews.
DevOps
Infrastructure Automation
IaC generation, incident analysis, automated remediation scripts.
Data & Analytics
Complex Analysis
Multi-source data synthesis, automated report generation, pattern detection.
Agent Workflows
Task Automation
Cross-system orchestration, decision chains, autonomous operations.
Section 14 · Trust & Safety
Garlic-GPT Safety, Alignment & Compliance Considerations
What enterprises need to know about Garlic-GPT's expected safety features and compliance readiness.
Expected Safety Features
Based on OpenAI's established practices, Garlic-GPT will likely include:
- ✓ Red team testing and adversarial evaluation
- ✓ RLHF-based alignment tuning
- ✓ Content filtering and safety guardrails
- ✓ Enterprise data privacy controls
- ✓ Audit logging and compliance reporting
Enterprise Compliance Checklist
Questions to address before adoption:
- □ Data residency and processing requirements
- □ Industry-specific regulations (HIPAA, SOC 2, etc.)
- □ Internal AI governance policies
- □ Vendor risk assessment procedures
- □ User training and acceptable use policies
Section 15 · Fact Check
Garlic-GPT: Confirmed Facts vs Rumors vs Speculation
Helping you distinguish between verified information, credible speculation, and unsubstantiated claims.
Confirmed
- ✓ OpenAI has an internal project codenamed "Garlic"
- ✓ Sam Altman declared "Code Red" in December 2025
- ✓ Garlic focuses on coding and reasoning improvements
- ✓ It's separate from the earlier Shallotpeat project
Credible Speculation
- ~ Will launch as GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.5
- ~ Expected in early 2026
- ~ Internal benchmarks exceed Gemini 3
- ~ Uses more efficient smaller architecture
Unverified Claims
- ✗ Specific benchmark scores
- ✗ Exact pricing and API details
- ✗ Precise release dates
- ✗ Claims of "AGI-level" capabilities
Section 16 · Background
OpenAI Code Red: The Emergency Behind Garlic-GPT
Understanding the competitive pressure that accelerated Garlic development.
What Happened
On December 1, 2025, Sam Altman declared an internal "Code Red" at OpenAI, pausing development on ChatGPT advertising features, shopping agents, health assistants, and the Pulse personal assistant project.
The trigger: Google Gemini's monthly active users grew from 450 million in July to 650 million by October 2025, rapidly closing the gap with ChatGPT's 800 million weekly users.
Resources were redirected to two priorities: improving the core ChatGPT experience and accelerating the Garlic model to regain the performance edge that defined OpenAI's early GPT-4 advantage.
Paused Projects
- Paused ChatGPT Advertising Features
- Paused Shopping Agent
- Paused Health Agent
- Paused Pulse Personal Assistant
- Priority Core ChatGPT Improvements
- Priority Garlic Model Development
Section 17 · Context
Shallotpeat vs Garlic: Understanding the Connection
Clarifying the relationship between these two OpenAI internal projects.
Shallotpeat
Development started October 2025 to counter Gemini 3. The name suggests "improving on difficult training foundations" (shallots don't grow well in peat soil).
Status: Encountered structural pretraining issues. Learnings were incorporated into Garlic.
Garlic
Independent project that integrated bug fixes from Shallotpeat's development. Achieved the pretraining breakthrough that Shallotpeat targeted.
Status: Active development, expected to launch as GPT-5.2/5.5.
Section 18 · Disambiguation
GARLIC Paper vs Garlic-GPT Model: Different Things, Same Name
Clarifying the distinction between the academic GARLIC framework and OpenAI's Garlic model.
GARLIC: Academic Paper
Full name: GPT-Augmented Reinforcement Learning with Intelligent Control
Published at AAAI 2025, this research framework uses GPT to enhance reinforcement learning for vehicle dispatching and ride-hailing optimization.
Not related to OpenAI's internal Garlic model project.
Garlic-GPT: OpenAI Model
Context: Internal OpenAI codename for their next-generation LLM.
Focused on coding and complex reasoning capabilities, expected to launch as GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.5 in early 2026.
This is the primary subject of garlic-gpt.com.
Section 19 · FAQ
Garlic-GPT Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about OpenAI's Garlic model.
Garlic-GPT refers to OpenAI's internal "Garlic" model, a next-generation LLM focused on coding and complex reasoning. Based on industry reports, it's expected to launch as GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.5 in early 2026, though no official date has been announced.
According to leaked internal benchmarks, Garlic outperforms Gemini 3 and Anthropic Opus 4.5 in coding and reasoning tasks. It also uses a more efficient architecture, potentially offering better performance-per-cost. Official benchmarks will be available upon release.
Garlic is expected to launch as GPT-5.2 or GPT-5.5, complementing or eventually superseding GPT-5.1 for high-complexity coding and reasoning tasks. OpenAI typically maintains multiple model tiers for different use cases and price points.
Shallotpeat was an earlier OpenAI project that encountered pretraining issues. Garlic is a separate, independent project that incorporated learnings and bug fixes from Shallotpeat's development, achieving the efficiency breakthrough that Shallotpeat targeted.
Code Red is OpenAI's internal emergency status declared in December 2025, pausing secondary projects to focus resources on ChatGPT improvements and Garlic development. This indicates Garlic is now a top organizational priority with accelerated development.
Based on OpenAI's historical release patterns, Garlic-GPT (as GPT-5.2/5.5) will likely be available through the OpenAI API and integrated into ChatGPT. Specific API details and pricing will be announced closer to launch.
Section 21 · News
Garlic-GPT News & Updates
Latest reports and coverage from trusted sources. We respect all original content and intellectual property.
OpenAI Developing Garlic Model to Counter Google's Recent Gains
Internal project codenamed Garlic aims to surpass Gemini 3 in coding and reasoning benchmarks.
December 2025OpenAI Developing New AI Model "Garlic" Amid Google's AI Success
Analysis of competitive implications and market dynamics following Garlic model reports.
December 2025OpenAI Developing New LLM Codenamed Garlic as ChatGPT Goes Into Code Red
Coverage of Sam Altman's Code Red declaration and Garlic development priorities.
December 2025OpenAI Is Developing the Garlic AI Model: A Code Red Response
Detailed breakdown of Garlic's expected capabilities and strategic positioning.
December 2025
Section 22 · Community
Community Discussion on Garlic-GPT
Key themes from developer and researcher discussions about the Garlic model.
Optimistic Sentiment
Excitement about potential coding improvements and efficiency gains. Developers anticipate reduced costs for high-volume applications.
Skeptical Perspectives
Some caution against hype cycles. Questions about whether improvements justify migration costs for existing deployments.
Practical Concerns
Focus on API stability, backward compatibility, and whether specialized coding features will be available across pricing tiers.
Section 23-28 · Resources
Additional Garlic-GPT Resources
Research materials, tutorials, and ecosystem tools for deeper exploration.
Research & Papers
Technical reports, academic papers, and in-depth analysis related to Garlic-GPT and frontier AI development.
Coming SoonTutorials & Guides
Step-by-step learning materials for integrating and optimizing Garlic-GPT in your workflows.
Coming SoonVideos & Talks
Curated video content covering AI developments, Garlic model analysis, and industry perspectives.
Coming SoonAPI & Integrations
Integration guides and ecosystem tools for connecting Garlic-GPT with your applications.
Coming SoonAI Landscape Map
Visual overview of the frontier AI ecosystem: OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and open-source alternatives.
Coming SoonSubmit Updates
Help improve this resource by submitting corrections, additional information, or suggestions.
Contact us →
Section 29 · About
About Garlic-GPT.com
garlic-gpt.com is an independent, third-party information hub tracking OpenAI's Garlic model development. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to OpenAI in any way.
Our mission is to provide developers, enterprises, and AI enthusiasts with accurate, well-sourced information about Garlic-GPT, helping them make informed decisions about AI adoption and migration strategies.
We respect all intellectual property rights and cite sources appropriately. All content is original analysis and synthesis based on publicly available information.
Our Principles
- ✓ Accuracy over speed—we verify before publishing
- ✓ Clear distinction between facts and speculation
- ✓ Transparent source attribution
- ✓ Regular updates as information evolves
- ✓ Community-first: free access to core resources