Christopher is getting so smart... Tokens Are Not Barrels of Oil A token is a logical event generated by an evolving software architecture. A cached input token, an uncached input token, a reasoning token, and an output token can have radically different physical costs. The same nominal token can cost differently depending on: · model size; · active parameter count; · architecture; · precision; · sequence length; · batch size; · hardware; · cache state; · serving software; · utilization. A system can generate more tokens while using less physical compute. A system can generate fewer tokens while costing more if the intervention destroys cache reuse, lengthens the trajectory, or shifts work toward more expensive outputs.