Deepseek releases faster model at lower costs
The Decoder: Deepseek V4.1 Flash 1017 beats larger rivals in agentic tasks while once again massively cutting per-task costs
Deepseek has released V4.1-Flash-1017 as an open-weight model that posts better benchmarks, finishes tasks faster, and produces shorter outputs than its predecessor. The company is also opening up its internal search engine through new Search and Fetch APIs at $0.75 per 1,000 calls. API users in tools like Claude Code and Codex get free access for now. The article Deepseek V4.1 Flash 1017 beats larger rivals in agentic tasks while once again massively cutting per-task costs appeared fir
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A Chinese AI company has released an updated smaller language model that performs better on coding and software development tasks than larger competing models while significantly reducing costs per task. The model was trained using a method where it generates its own feedback to improve itself, rather than relying on human evaluators. The company is also making its internal web search engine available to developers through new APIs, and costs have dropped substantially, with some tasks completing for under twenty cents compared to several dollars for rival systems. This development matters as context because the Chinese government is reportedly planning to restrict the release of advanced open-weight models, which could affect how widely this technology becomes available.
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