Nova Micro is an exceptionally fast and concise non-reasoning model from Amazon, offering above-average intelligence for tasks where speed and brevity are paramount, albeit at a premium price point.
Nova Micro, an offering from Amazon Bedrock, distinguishes itself through a remarkable combination of speed and conciseness, making it a compelling choice for applications demanding rapid processing and minimal output. While categorized as a non-reasoning model, it achieves an above-average score on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, indicating a solid capability for its intended use cases. Its performance metrics, particularly in output speed and time to first token, position it as a leader in its class.
The model's standout feature is its blistering output speed, clocking in at a median of 434 tokens per second. This places Nova Micro at the very top of our benchmarks, making it ideal for high-throughput scenarios where generating responses quickly is critical. Complementing this speed is an impressive conciseness; it generates significantly fewer tokens to achieve its intelligence score compared to the average, which can be a double-edged sword: efficient for brief responses but potentially limiting for complex, verbose outputs.
Despite its strong performance in speed and conciseness, Nova Micro operates at a premium price point. With an input token price of $0.04 per 1M tokens and an output token price of $0.14 per 1M tokens, it is considerably more expensive than the average model in our evaluations. This pricing structure necessitates careful consideration of its application, ensuring that the value derived from its speed and efficiency outweighs the higher per-token cost. Its 130k context window provides ample space for substantial inputs, supporting a wide range of tasks from summarization to content generation.
Overall, Nova Micro is engineered for performance-critical environments. Its blend of high speed, low latency, and efficient output generation, backed by Amazon's infrastructure, makes it a powerful tool for developers prioritizing rapid interaction and concise results. However, its premium cost means that users must strategically deploy it where its unique advantages can truly shine, optimizing for scenarios where every millisecond and every token counts.
18 (#38 / 93)
431.8 tokens/s
$0.04 /M tokens
$0.14 /M tokens
4.6M tokens
0.35 seconds
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Owner | Amazon |
| License | Proprietary |
| Context Window | 130k tokens |
| Output Speed (Median) | 434 tokens/s |
| Latency (TTFT) | 0.35 seconds |
| Blended Price (3:1) | $0.06 / 1M tokens |
| Input Token Price | $0.04 / 1M tokens |
| Output Token Price | $0.14 / 1M tokens |
| Intelligence Index | 18 (#38 / 93) |
| Verbosity (Intelligence Index) | 4.6M tokens (#7 / 93) |
| API Provider | Amazon Bedrock |
| Model Type | Non-reasoning |
Choosing the right model involves balancing performance, cost, and specific application needs. Nova Micro excels in speed and conciseness, making it ideal for certain high-demand scenarios. Here's how to decide if it's the right fit for your project.
| Priority | Pick | Why | Tradeoff to accept |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed-Critical Applications | Nova Micro | Unmatched output speed and low latency are perfect for real-time user interactions, chatbots, or dynamic content generation where instant responses are key. | Higher cost per token may impact budget for very high-volume usage. |
| Concise Summarization | Nova Micro | Its high conciseness means it can distill information effectively with fewer output tokens, potentially saving on output costs for specific use cases. | If summaries require extensive detail or nuance, its conciseness might be a limitation. |
| High-Throughput Data Processing | Nova Micro | When processing large streams of data that require quick, brief responses or classifications, its speed can significantly reduce processing times. | The cumulative cost for massive datasets can become substantial due to premium pricing. |
| Interactive AI Experiences | Nova Micro | For applications like virtual assistants or interactive content creation where responsiveness directly impacts user satisfaction, Nova Micro's speed is a major asset. | Developers must carefully manage prompt and response lengths to control costs. |
| Cost-Sensitive Batch Processing | Other Models | For tasks where latency is not critical and cost is the primary driver, cheaper models can offer better economic efficiency for large-scale batch jobs. | Slower processing times and potentially less concise outputs. |
The optimal choice often depends on a detailed cost-benefit analysis tailored to your specific operational requirements and budget constraints.
Understanding the real-world cost implications of Nova Micro requires looking at typical scenarios. Its premium pricing, combined with its conciseness, means that cost efficiency is highly dependent on the nature of the input and desired output.
| Scenario | Input | Output | What it represents | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario | Input | Output | What it represents | Estimated Cost |
| Short Chatbot Response | 200 tokens | 50 tokens | A quick user query and a concise AI reply. | $0.000015 |
| Email Summarization | 5,000 tokens | 200 tokens | Summarizing a moderately long email into key points. | $0.000220 |
| Article Condensation | 50,000 tokens | 1,000 tokens | Condensing a full article into a brief overview. | $0.003400 |
| Product Description Generation | 1,000 tokens | 150 tokens | Generating a short description from product specs. | $0.000055 |
| Large Document Analysis | 100,000 tokens | 500 tokens | Extracting critical information from a lengthy report. | $0.004700 |
| Real-time Content Moderation | 100 tokens | 10 tokens | Quickly classifying user-generated content. | $0.0000054 |
Nova Micro's cost per interaction is low for very short, concise tasks, but scales up quickly for longer inputs or outputs due to its premium token pricing. Its efficiency shines when brevity is key, but budget planning is crucial for high-volume or verbose applications.
Leveraging Nova Micro effectively means optimizing for its strengths while mitigating its higher costs. Here are strategies to maximize value and control expenditure.
Given Nova Micro's inherent conciseness and premium output pricing, crafting prompts that encourage brief, direct answers is paramount. Avoid open-ended questions that might lead to verbose responses.
Reserve Nova Micro for applications where its industry-leading speed and low latency provide a critical competitive advantage or enhance user experience significantly. Do not use it for background tasks where speed is not a primary concern.
To prevent unexpected cost spikes from excessively long outputs, implement strict token limits on the model's responses. This ensures that even if a prompt could lead to a verbose answer, you only pay for a controlled amount.
While Nova Micro is fast, its input pricing is still a factor. For tasks involving multiple, smaller inputs that can be processed together, consider batching them to reduce API call overhead, though the per-token cost remains.
Given the premium pricing, robust cost monitoring is essential. Set up alerts for usage thresholds to prevent budget overruns, especially during initial deployment or scaling phases.
Nova Micro is distinguished by its exceptional output speed (434 tokens/s) and low latency (0.35s TTFT), making it the fastest model in our benchmarks. It also delivers above-average intelligence with remarkable conciseness, generating significantly fewer tokens for its intelligence score.
No. While powerful, its premium pricing makes it best suited for tasks where speed, low latency, and concise output are critical. For cost-sensitive, high-volume, or verbose tasks where speed is not paramount, other models might be more economical.
Nova Micro is priced at a premium, with input tokens at $0.04/M and output tokens at $0.14/M. This is considerably higher than the average model in our evaluations, which often have input/output prices closer to $0.00/M tokens.
Nova Micro features a generous 130k token context window, allowing it to process substantial amounts of input text for tasks like summarization, analysis, or content generation from large documents.
Nova Micro is classified as a non-reasoning model. While it scores above average on the Intelligence Index, it is not designed for complex, multi-step reasoning or highly nuanced logical inference. It excels at tasks requiring quick, direct responses based on provided context.
To control costs, focus on optimizing prompts for conciseness, setting strict output token limits, and strategically deploying the model only for speed-critical applications. Regular monitoring of usage and costs is also highly recommended.
Nova Micro is owned by Amazon and is offered under a proprietary license, accessible through Amazon Bedrock.