OpenAI says GPT-6 Astra created a Codex hardware device in under a week

OpenAI says its hardware team used GPT-6 Astra to create a device that enables users to communicate with the Codex coding agent. The project was conducted as a side effort and was completed in less than a week, according to the company. Astra was used for the enclosure, printed circuit board layout, component selection, trace routing, firmware and user interface.

A contract manufacturer produced a small prototype batch in under a month. OpenAI said the designs required several revisions because Astra did not consistently account for manufacturing limits, tolerances and assembly requirements.

The company also reported results from the BenchCAD 2.0 benchmark, which evaluates whether AI models can reconstruct three-dimensional parts and assemblies and identify PCB connections. A newer undisclosed “internal model” achieved a score of 0.875, compared with 0.594 for GPT-6 Astra at its highest reasoning level.

OpenAI said its hardware teams use Codex and ChatGPT for CAD models, manufacturing drawings and simulations in robotics and compute infrastructure. Token use in these activities has risen 23x since February. The company is also developing a separate device reportedly positioned between an AI speaker and a smartphone.