# OpenAI makes GPT-6 Astra available through API for older programming languages

_Published Tuesday, October 20, 2026 at 10:09 AM EDT · AI · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

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OpenAI has made GPT-6 Astra available through its API for coding tasks in older programming languages, including COBOL, Fortran and Visual Basic, Thurrott.com reported. The model targets languages with less training code and documentation that nevertheless support critical infrastructure and essential services.

OpenAI says Astra scored 87.4 percent across 20 languages on its MultiLangBench evaluation, compared with 26.8 percent for GPT-5.6 Sol. On its COBOL migration evaluation, Astra scored 86.8 percent, rising to 97.9 percent at high reasoning effort, versus 5.4 percent for GPT-5.6 Sol. Both evaluations were developed by OpenAI.

## Sources

- [Thurrott.com](https://www.thurrott.com/a-i/openai-a-i/343049/openai-launches-a-coding-model-for-older-programming-languages)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/190W-vgO4JCrL9X7Gdm3hq
Published: 2026-10-20T14:09:12.233Z
Story chronology: 2026-10-20T13:24:37.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-10-20T17:09:40.679Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)