Chinese AI models regularly pass 30 percent on OpenRouter as cost gap widens
Quick Answer
Chinese AI models, such as those from DeepSeek and Z.ai, are capturing over 30% of traffic on OpenRouter due to their significantly lower costs—60 to 90% cheaper than US counterparts like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Quick Take
This shift has led companies like Lindy to switch providers, saving millions as the performance gap narrows to six to nine months.
Key Points
- Chinese models accounted for over 30% of OpenRouter traffic weekly since February 8.
- DeepSeek and Z.ai are seen as competitive alternatives to US AI models.
- Lindy switched from Anthropic's Claude to DeepSeek, saving millions.
- Chinese models are 60 to 90 percent cheaper than US providers.
- The performance gap between Chinese and US models is estimated at six to nine months.
📖 Reader Mode
~1 min readChinese AI models are gaining ground with US companies because they cost far less than systems from OpenAI and Anthropic, CNBC reports. Models from companies like DeepSeek and Z.ai are seen as competitive, even as per-token pricing from US providers keeps climbing.
On the platform OpenRouter, Chinese models have accounted for over 30 percent of traffic every week since February 8, hitting 46 percent at times. Last year, the average was just 11 percent. According to OpenRouter employee Justin Summerville, Chinese open-source models run 60 to 90 percent cheaper. The startup Lindy shifted all of its traffic from Anthropic's Claude to DeepSeek. CEO Flo Crivello said the switch saves millions.
Kyle Chan at the Brookings Institution puts the gap between Chinese and US models at six to nine months. That lines up with an estimate from the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI). The agency published a report in May finding that Chinese AI models trail leading US models by about eight months. The assessment covered cybersecurity, software development, math, science, and abstract reasoning.
— Originally published at the-decoder.com
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