DeepSeek breaks China’s AI price war with peak-hour surge pricing
DeepSeek lit China’s AI price war by making tokens absurdly cheap. Now it is doing something no rival has dared: charging more when demand runs high.
The Chinese startup has told API customers it will double the price of its V4 models during busy hours, according to the South China Morning Post, which saw the email. The surcharge covers two windows, 9am to noon and 2pm to 6pm Beijing time. Outside those hours, prices hold. It is the first time DeepSeek has charged by the clock.
The move surprises because it cuts against everything DeepSeek has done. The company spent the past year undercutting everyone, and it recently made a 75 per cent V4 discount permanent. Peak pricing pulls the other way. DeepSeek says the goal is “better distribution of resources” and steadier service, not profit. Either way, the cheapest name in AI just got dearer at the...
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