Reasoning Models

What it is

Reasoning models are AI systems specifically designed or trained for complex multi-step reasoning. Models like OpenAI's o1 and o3 spend more compute time "thinking" through problems, breaking them into steps internally before producing answers. They trade speed for accuracy on difficult problems.

Why it matters

Reasoning models excel at maths, coding, science, and logic puzzles where standard LLMs struggle. If you have tasks requiring careful analysis or complex problem-solving, these models often perform significantly better—but they're slower and more expensive. Match the model type to your task complexity.