Migrating off Llama 3.1 8B
Llama 3.1 8B (Groq) — retired 2026-08-16.
Source · Verified 2026-08-14.
Groq is decommissioning Llama 3.1 8B on the same date as Llama 3.3 70B. It was the cheapest, fastest model in the Llama-on-Groq lineup — the replacement that matters most here is whichever model preserves that instant-response latency, not necessarily the closest parameter count.
What should I use instead of Llama 3.1 8B?
Llama 3.1 8B, from Groq, was retired 2026-08-16. There is no direct 1:1 successor — see the cross-provider alternatives below for the closest match.
What actually changes
| Llama 3.1 8B | — |
|---|
| Blended $/M | — | — |
| Context window | 128,000 tokens | — |
| Max output | 8,192 tokens | — |
| Modalities | text | — |
| Tokens / sec | unchanged / not measured | not measured |
Pricing from our live pricing registry; speed from our benchmark leaderboard where measured.
Gotchas
- GPT-OSS 20B is the closest like-for-like swap on Groq — similar cost tier, similar latency — but it exposes a reasoning mode Llama 3.1 8B never had. If your prompts assume a single-shot completion, verify you aren't accidentally paying for chain-of-thought tokens you don't need.
- Llama 3.1 8B has an 8K max output cap, noticeably smaller than most current small models. If you were chunking long generations to work around that ceiling, most replacements let you remove that chunking logic entirely.
- This model had no vision support. If part of your motivation for migrating is adding multimodal input, Qwen 3.8 30B (also Groq-hosted) is worth the extra cost over a text-only swap.
Alternatives beyond the obvious successor
Same Groq LPU speed, similar budget tier, adds optional reasoning mode.
Same parameter class off Groq — token-billed, no LPU rate limits.
Cheapest current text-only model if budget is the only constraint.
FAQ
Is Llama 3.1 8B being shut down?
Yes — it was retired on 2026-08-16. Source: https://console.groq.com/docs/deprecations.
What should I switch to from Llama 3.1 8B?
There is no direct 1:1 successor — see the alternatives section for cross-provider options.
Will switching cost more or less?
See the pricing comparison table below for exact numbers.
Decision and evidence guide. Verified 2026-08-14. These are dated, route-local references; unavailable values are not inferred.
Groq llama-3.1-8b-instant identity and shutdown ledger
Frozen fixture board. Formula / decision rule: resolved = groq host + exact endpoint ID + official notice date + shutdown evidence Boundary: Llama 3.1 8B weights on other hosts have independent lifecycles.
| Frozen fixture | Joined inputs and observation | Calculated result | State |
|---|
| llama-3.1-8b-instant on Groq · deprecated status | host=api.groq.com; endpoint=llama-3.1-8b-instant; status=deprecated; shutdown=Unavailable per public docs 2026-08-14
Endpoint is in deprecated state; verified shutdown date is not publicly documented. | shutdown=Unavailable; operator must check Groq console for exact date | UNAVAILABLE — console check required. |
| Bedrock Meta Llama 3.1 8B · Vertex Llama 3.1 8B | host=aws-bedrock/vertex-ai; groq-notice=not-applicable; own-lifecycle=separate
Cloud provider lifecycle notices are independent of Groq deprecation. | state=independent; do not apply Groq shutdown date | PASS WITH SEPARATION — host-local. |
| Self-hosted weights · custom serving infrastructure | host=self; weights=meta-llama-3.1-8B-Instruct; groq-notice=irrelevant; shutdown=never unless owner retires
Self-hosted deployments do not inherit Groq lifecycle states. | owner=self; plan upgrade independently | INDEPENDENT — self-hosted. |
Provenance: llama-3-1-8b module 1 first-party evidence, surface verification date 2026-08-14. Groq model deprecation notices. Missing joins fail closed.
Cost and throughput change worksheet for successor migration
Frozen fixture board. Formula / decision rule: blended cost delta = (new_in_price x input_share + new_out_price x output_share) - old_blended Boundary: Cost and speed figures are from verified public pricing and benchmark data only; private agreements are excluded.
| Frozen fixture | Joined inputs and observation | Calculated result | State |
|---|
| 90:10 mix · llama-3.1-8b-instant vs llama-3.3-70b-versatile | old blended=approx $0.05/M; new blended=approx $0.59/M (70B scale); delta=+$0.54/M
The 70B successor costs significantly more; confirm task requirements justify the upgrade. | delta=+$0.54/M blended (estimated); task fit must be re-evaluated | COST INCREASE — validate task requirements. |
| 90:10 mix · vs gemma2-9b-it alternatives | old=llama-3.1-8b-instant; alt=gemma2-9b-it; price class=Unavailable/public-verify; throughput=Unavailable/benchmark
Small-model alternatives may maintain cost class but capability differences require task-specific testing. | cost delta=Unavailable until public pricing rejoined; benchmark required | UNAVAILABLE — pricing/benchmark join required. |
| Latency-sensitive pipeline · 100ms budget | old t/s=high (8B); budget=100ms; new 70B t/s=lower; budget breach=likely for long outputs
A 70B model may exceed 100ms for long outputs. | latency SLA test required before migration; consider smaller successor | GATE — latency SLA must be measured. |
Provenance: llama-3-1-8b module 2 first-party evidence, surface verification date 2026-08-14. Groq model deprecation notices. Missing joins fail closed.
Migration verification and rollback-readiness checklist
Frozen fixture board. Formula / decision rule: ready = successor endpoint verified + all parameters tested + canary passed + rollback target defined Boundary: A passing canary over sampled traffic does not guarantee edge-case parity.
| Frozen fixture | Joined inputs and observation | Calculated result | State |
|---|
| Pre-migration checklist · all gates passed | endpoint=candidate; params tested=stop/tools/json/stream; canary share=10%; semantic delta=<2%; rollback=old endpoint alive
All pre-conditions documented and measurable before traffic shift. | ready=Yes (all joins complete); promote to 100% | READY — all gates passed. |
| Partial canary failure · parameter gap found | endpoint=candidate; json-mode=unsupported; canary=failed; rollback=immediate to old endpoint
Parameter incompatibility found in canary; rollback triggered before shutdown. | rollback=successful; root cause=param gap; next=find compatible successor | ROLLED BACK — find compatible successor. |
| Post-shutdown orphan workload | old=llama-3.1-8b-instant; shutdown=passed; request=404 or 410; rollback=impossible
Workload was not migrated before shutdown; no rollback available. | emergency: switch to any available compatible endpoint; accept quality regression until proper migration | CRITICAL — emergency successor required. |
Provenance: llama-3-1-8b module 3 first-party evidence, surface verification date 2026-08-14. Groq model deprecation notices. Missing joins fail closed.
Run the old prompt against both models, side by side
The only real way to know if a migration is safe is to test it. One workspace, both models, your actual prompts.
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