Xiaomi’s MiMo Closes Gap with DeepSeek in Chinese AI Token Rankings
TREE NEWS reports: DeepSeek continues to lead the Chinese large language model (LLM) market by token usage, but Xiaomi’s MiMo is rapidly closing the gap. In the week of October 16–22, the difference between the two models narrowed to just 16.54 billion tokens, with MiMo registering its fourth consecutive week of growth and increasing its platform share by 8.13 percentage points.AI.
The weekly ranking, which tracks token consumption across models hosted on B.AI’s platform, highlights intensifying competition in China’s AI model landscape. While DeepSeek remains the frontrunner, the surge of MiMo—backed by smartphone giant Xiaomi—signals that hardware makers are becoming formidable players in the AI model arena.
MiniMax Emerges as Growth Dark Horse
The most dramatic mover was MiniMax, which saw its token usage skyrocket by over 5,200% week-over-week. This explosive growth propelled MiniMax into the upper echelon of the rankings, though it still trails the leaders. Meanwhile, Qwen, developed by Alibaba, posted an 80.86% increase, narrowing its share gap with third-place Zai to a mere 0.18%.
The data suggests a market that is far from settled. Developers are actively experimenting with different models, and promotional discounts are playing a role in shaping usage patterns. B.AI is currently offering discounts on several popular models: DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 at 40% off, Qwen3.8-Flash at 20% off, and GLM-5.3-Flash at 30% off.
Industry Implications: A Multi-Polar AI Ecosystem
The rise of Xiaomi’s MiMo and the sudden spike from MiniMax indicate that China’s AI model market is becoming more diversified. DeepSeek’s early lead, built on strong performance and open-source availability, is being challenged by well-funded entrants with deep pockets and existing hardware ecosystems.
For developers, this competition is a boon: more choices, lower prices, and rapid innovation. For enterprises, it means carefully evaluating which models best fit their cost and performance needs, rather than defaulting to the market leader.
The token rankings also reflect the growing importance of AI model aggregators like B.AI, which provide a unified interface to access multiple models. Such platforms lower the barrier to entry for developers and enable real-time comparison of model economics.
Forward-Looking Perspective
As competition heats up, expect further price cuts and performance improvements. Xiaomi’s strong push suggests it aims to leverage its device ecosystem to drive AI adoption. MiniMax’s surge, while possibly driven by a low base, shows that niche players can quickly gain traction. DeepSeek will need to innovate to maintain its lead. The coming weeks will reveal whether these trends persist or if the market will consolidate around a few dominant models.
