Groq
groq.com
An AI inference platform built on custom LPU hardware, offering dramatically faster token generation speeds than GPU-based alternatives — free API access available.
Why it is useful
Delivers inference speeds that are 10–20x faster than typical GPU-based services, making real-time AI applications and long-context tasks noticeably more responsive. The free API tier is generous enough for serious experimentation. For developers evaluating whether speed matters to user experience in AI applications, Groq is the best benchmark for what fast inference actually feels like.