DeepSeek V4.1 Update Cuts Costs as China Weighs AI Controls

DeepSeek released V4.1-Flash-1017 on October 17, around five weeks after its previous version. DeepSeek says the model completes tasks faster, produces shorter answers and improves coding performance. Its weights are available under the MIT licence on the DeepSeek website, app and API. On DeepSeek’s DeepSWE coding benchmark, the top configuration scored 77%, up from 74.2% for the previous version; DeepSeek estimates costs of about $0.20 per task, compared with $0.50 previously. The company also reported gains across 11 benchmarks. The model beat Claude Opus 5 on four software engineering and agent automation tests, but fell behind on seven. These are company-reported results without cited independent verification. API prices are unchanged, although shorter, token-billed outputs could lower users’ bills. DeepSeek’s Search & Fetch APIs cost $0.75 per 1,000 calls, with some access free until November 1. The update followed China’s proposal to add 23 AI technologies to its export-control list. Officials say open-source technology already in the public domain would be excluded, and overseas use of restricted models through APIs, apps or websites would not count as a technology export. The proposal is open for comment until November 15, and its terms may change. For crypto traders, the AI launch and proposed controls have no clear direct effect on cryptocurrency prices.