Groq's core infrastructure is built on its LPU (Language Processing Unit), a purpose-built inference chip first pioneered in 2016. The LPU architecture eliminates the memory-bandwidth bottlenecks common in GPU-based inference, enabling dramatically higher token throughput and lower latency at scale. GroqCloud is the developer-facing API layer sitting atop this silicon, exposing a fully OpenAI-compatible REST API.

Migrating from OpenAI requires just two lines of code — swapping the base_url to https://api.groq.com/openai/v1 and providing a Groq API key. The platform supports a wide range of models (including MoE architectures and large open models), is deployed across globally distributed data centers, and offers usage-based pricing with a free tier for developers getting started.