DeepSeek overtakes Google on volume, cost per token falls 13.6%
Source
Amelia Charles
Author
Amelia Charles
Date
Terms in this piece · Glossary
token — The chunk of text a model reads and writes in — roughly three-quarters of a word — and the unit AI usage is billed in.
AI agent — An AI system that doesn't just answer once but works toward a goal in a loop — taking actions, reading the results, and deciding what to do next.
open weights — A model whose trained parameters are published for anyone to download and run — unlike API-only models you can access but never possess.
Why it matters
Production routing data rather than vendor claims: what long-horizon AI agentAn AI system that doesn't just answer once but works toward a goal in a loop — taking actions, reading the results, and deciding what to do next.Full definition → models actually cost per request, where tokenThe chunk of text a model reads and writes in — roughly three-quarters of a word — and the unit AI usage is billed in.Full definition → volume and spend are moving, and how fast open weightsA model whose trained parameters are published for anyone to download and run — unlike API-only models you can access but never possess.Full definition → are converting volume into revenue.
