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LLMs and token usage

LLM access in our group is a bit multi-layered:

  • Claude (chat, Claude Code, etc.) – everyone in the group has Claude Max access through our Claude Team plan, which has quite a lot of tokens for non-API use.
  • CBORG – LBNL provides each researcher with a monthly allowance of API credits through a service called CBORG, which is flexible as to whether it uses Claude, OpenAI, etc. The limit can be increased by applying project budget, and many people in the group have done so.
  • OpenAI Enterprise – we can also purchase ChatGPT credits through a dedicated OpenAI Enterprise plan, charged to project budget.
  • Claude API – we can use project budget to buy Claude API tokens directly, although this may change as LBNL moves towards a more pooled Enterprise plan.

Overall, most of our API token use comes from project budget. The scale of usage depends on impact, and it varies quite a bit across the group. More is possible if impact can be demonstrated. If you think you need more, contact Anubhav.