DeepSeek drives record 62% open-weight model share on Vercel

On Saturday, open-weight AI models reached a record 62% share of token volume on Vercel's AI Gateway, a US web development platform, according to CEO Guillermo Rauch. This surge is largely attributed to DeepSeek's latest lightweight model, which has gained popularity due to its low cost. The shift marks a reversal from June 24, when open-weight models accounted for only 28% of token volume, compared to 72% for proprietary models. On Tuesday, open-weight models had already surpassed proprietary ones, holding 54% of token volume versus 46%. The rise of Chinese open-weight models comes as business demand for Anthropic's cutting-edge Fable 5 stalls due to high costs. This trend highlights the growing competitiveness of open-source AI models, particularly from China, in the global market.