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[ AI tools · Models and assistants ]

DeepSeek Reasoning at a Fraction of the Cost

DeepSeek’s open-weight models reason and code at a level close to closed frontier models, for much less. We run them on infrastructure you control, so the savings come without a compliance problem.

Model Your CostsCompliance First

Monthly cost as volume grows

0M tokens a month

  • Closed frontier API
  • DeepSeek hosted API
  • DeepSeek self-hosted

The dot: past this volume, self-hosting costs less than a closed API.

Illustrative relative costs, not prices. We model yours from real traffic.

Four Things People Get Wrong About DeepSeek

A lab known for strong, cheap, open models. It ships four kinds:

  • General models
  • Reasoning models
  • Open weights
  • Distilled versions
  1. Myth 1

    Using DeepSeek means sending data to DeepSeek.

    Fact

    Only the hosted API does. The open weights run on your own servers, or through cloud marketplaces such as Amazon Bedrock and Microsoft Foundry, where your cloud's terms apply.

  2. Myth 2

    Cheap means weak.

    Fact

    Its large mixture-of-experts and reasoning models compete with leading closed models on many public benchmarks. We still test on your own tasks before choosing.

  3. Myth 3

    Open weights come with no terms.

    Fact

    The weights are published under a permissive license that allows self-hosting and fine-tuning. Your own data and procurement policies still decide whether it fits.

  4. Myth 4

    You need a data center to run it.

    Fact

    The full models need serious GPUs, but distilled versions trained to imitate the reasoning model run on far cheaper hardware.

[ Compliance ]

Where DeepSeek Runs Decides Whether You Can Use It

  1. 01

    Where is data processed?

    • DeepSeek's hosted API: In China
    • Through a cloud marketplace: Your chosen cloud region
    • Self-hosted weights: Your own servers
  2. 02

    Who can see prompts and outputs?

    • DeepSeek's hosted API: The provider, under its policy
    • Through a cloud marketplace: Your cloud's terms apply
    • Self-hosted weights: Only your team
  3. 03

    Does it pass regulated-data rules?

    • DeepSeek's hosted API: Usually excluded
    • Through a cloud marketplace: Often acceptable
    • Self-hosted weights: Yes, with your controls
  4. 04

    Can we use the model commercially?

    • DeepSeek's hosted API: Under the API terms
    • Through a cloud marketplace: Under the cloud's terms
    • Self-hosted weights: Permissive open license
  5. 05

    What does it cost?

    • DeepSeek's hosted API: Lowest per token
    • Through a cloud marketplace: Cloud model rates
    • Self-hosted weights: Fixed hardware cost
[ Distillation ]

Big-Model Reasoning on Small-Model Hardware

DeepSeek trained smaller open models on its large reasoning model’s answers. They keep much of the reasoning skill and run on a single GPU.

TeacherLarge reasoning modelHundreds of billions of parameters, a GPU server
  • Distilled, largeRuns on one data center GPU
  • Distilled, mediumRuns on one workstation GPU
  • Distilled, smallRuns on a laptop GPU
[ Use cases ]

Where DeepSeek Earns Its Place

  • 01High-volume back-office workClassification, extraction and summaries at volumes where per-token cost dominates.
  • 02Self-hosted reasoningStep-by-step analysis on data that cannot leave your network.
  • 03Internal coding assistantsCode help on your own GPUs for teams that cannot send code outside.
  • 04Batch analyticsOvernight analysis of large text archives at a fixed hardware cost.
  • 05Fallback modelA cheaper second model behind a primary one, used when cost or availability demand it.
  • 06Teaching smaller modelsGenerating training data to fine-tune a small model for one narrow task.
Hands typing on a laptop showing a cost spreadsheet in an office
[ How we deploy it ]

Our Default: DeepSeek Weights, Your Infrastructure

  • 01 Self-hostedOpen weights on your GPUs or private cloud, served with vLLM or SGLang behind your gateway. Nothing leaves your network.
  • 02 Cloud marketplaceDeepSeek models offered inside major clouds, under your existing agreement and region.
  • 03 Hosted API, for non-sensitive workOnly for public or synthetic data, and only where your policy allows it.

Ways to start

Talk It Through

Packages from $1,500; custom projects from $8,000.

DeepSeek Questions

  • It depends on where it runs. DeepSeek's own hosted API processes data in China, which many companies' policies exclude. Self-hosted open weights run entirely on your infrastructure and send nothing to DeepSeek, which is how we deploy it for sensitive work.

  • Its large models are close to closed frontier models on many reasoning and coding benchmarks, at a much lower cost. We measure the gap on your own tasks before recommending a switch.

  • DeepSeek has released its main models under a permissive open license that allows commercial use. We check the license of the exact model version you will deploy.

  • The full large models need a multi-GPU server. The distilled versions run on a single data center, workstation or even laptop GPU, depending on size.

  • Yes. Major clouds and inference providers offer DeepSeek models, so you can use them under your existing cloud agreement and region instead of DeepSeek's own API.

  • Often substantially for high-volume work, but not always. We model your traffic, test quality and compare total cost, including hardware and engineering, before you decide.

Ask Us Directly

[ Contact ]

Let's build your next product together

Book a free strategy call and leave with a clear plan and estimate. No commitment.

  1. 01Pick a time that suits you
  2. 0230 minutes on scope, stack, timeline and budget
  3. 03Fixed-price proposal, NDA on request
Prefer email? contact@sajaltech.com