DeepSeek updates V4.1 Flash and opens Search API at 5 yuan per 1,000 calls

DeepSeek rolled out another model update on Oct. 17, moving DeepSeekV4.1 Flash to the new V4.1-Flash-1017 version across its web interface, app, and API. According to information cited by The Paper, the company says the new release posts stronger benchmark results than the previous version while also cutting task runtime and output length, lowering cost and improving speed for users. DeepSeek described the change as a "Pareto improvement" in performance versus cost across multiple Harness environments. On the same day, the DeepSeek Harness team said version 0.2.1 now supports the new model and that the model received targeted optimization for Harness during training, improving task performance while reducing runtime, output consumption, and token costs. First-time users of DeepSeek Harness can receive a 6-yuan credit without making a deposit, though the offer is limited and expires seven days after it is credited. DeepSeek also announced that it has opened its in-house Search API. The company said the AI-native general search engine indexes hundreds of billions of webpages globally, supports multilingual search, and filters SEO spam, GEO manipulation, and low-quality AIGC content. The newly added Search and Fetch interfaces are priced at 5 yuan per 1,000 calls, and access through server-side tool calls in DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code, or Codex will be free until Nov. 1.