Groq, a leading innovator in AI inference technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Meta to power the official Llama API, delivering what it claims to be the fastest and most cost-effective way to run Meta’s latest Llama 4 models.
In a major step forward for developers building production-ready AI applications, the Llama 4 API — now in preview — is being accelerated by Groq’s proprietary Language Processing Unit (LPU), touted as the world’s most efficient inference chip. The collaboration aims to provide developers with an unparalleled combination of speed, low cost, predictable low latency, and scalable performance.
“Teaming up with Meta for the official Llama API raises the bar for model performance,” said Jonathan Ross, CEO and Founder of Groq. “Groq delivers the speed, consistency, and cost efficiency that production AI demands, while giving developers the flexibility and control they need to build fast.”
Unlike general-purpose GPU infrastructures, Groq’s vertically integrated system is designed exclusively for inference. From custom silicon to cloud infrastructure, every layer is optimized to deliver consistently high-speed performance without compromise — a key factor drawing developers and enterprises away from traditional GPU stacks.
The Llama API, which serves as Meta’s official gateway for accessing its family of open-source Llama models, is built for high-performance production use. With Groq powering the backend, developers will benefit from:
- Throughput speeds up to 625 tokens per second
- Effortless migration from OpenAI with just three lines of code
- No cold starts, tuning, or GPU overhead
Over 1.4 million developers and Fortune 500 companies are already building real-time AI applications using Groq’s infrastructure, which offers a competitive edge in delivering fast and reliable results at scale.
The Llama 4 API powered by Groq is currently available in preview to a limited number of developers, with a broader rollout expected in the coming weeks