OpenAI DevDay 2026: Codex Cloud & Ultrafast AI Tools

OpenAI DevDay 2026 delivered more than 20 announcements for developers: Codex cloud environments, automatic code reviews, security scans, and a blazing-fast Ultrafast tier. Here is what it all means, in plain English.

Every year, OpenAI holds a developer conference called DevDay — and this year's edition, held on September 29, 2026 in San Francisco, was the company's biggest developer event so far. The headline announcements focused on Codex, OpenAI's AI coding assistant: it can now run in the cloud, review your code automatically, and scan your projects for security holes — even while your laptop is closed.

Image: OpenAI via Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

Whether you write code every day or are just curious about where AI development tools are heading, here is a beginner-friendly breakdown of everything that matters.

Codex Goes to the Cloud

Until now, Codex mostly ran wherever you ran it — on your laptop. DevDay changed that. Codex in the cloud introduces reusable cloud environments that keep working even after you close your laptop. You can start a coding task on your computer, check on it from your phone, and pick it up later in a browser.

Think of it like this: instead of a helper who only works when you are watching, Codex is now an assistant that keeps building while you are away. Teams can also share these environments, so everyone on a team gets the same setup, permissions, and tools — no more "it works on my machine" surprises.

The command-line interface got a refresh too: you can now talk to Codex with voice commands, and a new /agents view lets you watch several tasks running at the same time. Sessions are easier to resume, and managing parallel work with worktrees got cleaner.

• Who gets it: Codex in the cloud is available on Plus, Pro, Business, Healthcare, Education, and Enterprise plans; the refreshed CLI is available on all plans.
• Why it matters: coding agents no longer stop when your laptop sleeps.

Automatic Code Review and Security Scans

Two of the most practical announcements were about quality and safety — two things every developer worries about.

Code Review brings an AI-powered review experience into the ChatGPT desktop app. It can summarize what changed in your code, show you diffs (the line-by-line differences between versions), and even run automatic first-pass reviews in the cloud for GitHub pull requests and GitLab merge requests. In plain terms: before a human teammate looks at your code, the AI checks it first and leaves feedback.

Codex Security Cloud goes further. It scans entire code repositories for vulnerabilities — either on demand or on a regular schedule — investigates the findings, removes duplicates, and prepares fixes for you. All of this happens in the cloud, even with your laptop closed. It also taps into OpenAI's Daybreak Blue cybersecurity models for deeper analysis.

• Who gets it: Code Review is available on all plans; Security Cloud is available on Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans.
• Why it matters: security checks and first-pass reviews happen automatically, catching bugs before they reach production.

New APIs: Decisions, Agents, and Ultrafast Speed

For developers who build on OpenAI's platform, DevDay brought new building blocks:

• Decisions API (limited preview): powered by the GPT-6 Luna model, this API answers a fixed set of questions with predefined answers. It is built for fast, repeatable decisions — like classifying support tickets, routing requests, or picking an agent's next step.
• Agents API with computer use (public beta): agents can now operate software through its user interface — clicking buttons and filling forms, not just generating code. OpenAI hosts the infrastructure, and with Bedrock Managed Agents (built with Amazon), teams can run OpenAI agents entirely inside AWS.
• Ultrafast: a premium speed tier that generates tokens up to 8× faster in Codex (around 300 tokens per second) and up to 6× faster in the API. GPT-6 Astra Ultrafast is live now, with a GPT-6.1 Sol version coming soon. Speed is not free, though — it reportedly costs six times the standard API rate.

OpenAI also launched GPT-6.1 Sol, a model aimed at coding and computer-use tasks that nearly matches the flagship GPT-6 Astra on those workloads while costing one-fifth as much per token ($2 input / $10 output per million tokens). For developers running agents in production, that is a big deal for the monthly bill.

What OpenAI DevDay 2026 Means for You

You do not need to be a professional programmer to take something away from these announcements:

• Coding agents are going autonomous. With cloud environments, voice control, and scheduled security scans, Codex is shifting from a coding helper to something closer to a coworker that keeps working while you sleep.
• Security is becoming automatic. Codex Security Cloud means smaller teams without dedicated security staff can still get professional-grade vulnerability scanning.
• Speed is now a product tier. Ultrafast treats response time like a feature you pay for — expect other AI providers to follow with their own speed tiers.
• Cheaper AI coding is here. GPT-6.1 Sol's one-fifth pricing means better code assistance for less money.
• ChatGPT is becoming a platform. Plugin extensions let outside developers build native features inside ChatGPT's sidebar — with 1.2 billion weekly users on the other side of that screen.

The full keynote also introduced always-on "dots" agents, collaborative ChatGPT Space workspaces, and a new $500-per-month Pro 500 plan with 25× the Plus allowance. If you want to follow this space, check out more AI news and our Technology coverage for ongoing updates.

Sources: DevDay 2026 announcements and developer resources, OpenAI Developer Community; OpenAI DevDay 2026: All 20+ Announcements Explained, The Web Tier; OpenAI DevDay 2026 brings new AI agents, developer tools, TechGig