OpenRouter

Chinese AI Models Hit 60% of OpenRouter Usage as Pricing War Threatens OpenAI, Anthropic IPOs

Chinese AI labs have surged from 1% to over 60% of OpenRouter token usage since 2024, with models from DeepSeek, MiniMax, and Zhipu matching frontier capability at one-ninth the cost. Enterprises are adopting 'advisor model' architectures that slash spending, threatening the $800B+ IPO valuations OpenAI and Anthropic are chasing.