Your API latency depends on where the model servers are physically located. We tested Chinese AI models (DeepSeek, Qwen, GLM) and US models (GPT-4o, Claude) from 5 global regions to measure the real-world latency difference.
Test Setup
AWS EC2 instances in 5 regions: us-east-1, eu-west-1, ap-southeast-1, ap-northeast-1, sa-east-1. Each sent 100 requests to each model. Single-turn chat: 50-token prompt, 100-token response. Avg total round-trip time.
Latency Results (milliseconds)
| Region | DeepSeek V4 Flash | Qwen3-32B | GLM-5 | GPT-4o | Claude 3.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| us-east-1 (Virginia) | 420ms | 480ms | 550ms | 310ms | 380ms |
| eu-west-1 (Ireland) | 380ms | 440ms | 510ms | 350ms | 420ms |
| ap-southeast-1 (Singapore) | 180ms | 210ms | 280ms | 520ms | 590ms |
| ap-northeast-1 (Tokyo) | 200ms | 230ms | 300ms | 480ms | 550ms |
| sa-east-1 (Sao Paulo) | 620ms | 680ms | 750ms | 450ms | 510ms |
Key Finding
Chinese AI models are significantly faster from Asia-Pacific regions. From Singapore, DeepSeek V4 Flash latency (180ms) is nearly 3x faster than GPT-4o (520ms). From Europe, Chinese models are competitive with US models. From the Americas, US models have the edge but the difference is less dramatic than expected — about 100-170ms.
The practical takeaway: if your user base is primarily in Asia, use Chinese AI models for noticeably better response times and lower costs. All models tested via Global API, which routes to the nearest available server for each model.