Last refreshed 2026-05-11. Next refresh: weekly.
Why use DeepSeek R1 on GCP Vertex AI?
GCP Vertex AI offers DeepSeek R1 with pay-as-you-go pricing at $1.35/1M input tokens. Vertex AI is Google Cloud's managed AI platform, offering access to Gemini models and hundreds of partner models alongside tools for fine-tuning, grounding, vector search, and end-to-end MLOps pipelines.
Compare DeepSeek R1 across 14 providers to find the best fit for your use caseSetup recipe
Python + curlpip install google-cloud-aiplatformexport GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=...import os
import vertexai
from vertexai.generative_models import GenerativeModel
vertexai.init(project=os.environ["GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT"], location="us-central1")deepseek-r1Request example
import os
import vertexai
from vertexai.generative_models import GenerativeModel
# Reads GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT from env; authenticates via Application Default Credentials
vertexai.init(project=os.environ["GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT"], location="us-central1")
model = GenerativeModel("deepseek-r1")
response = model.generate_content("Hello")
print(response.text)Gotchas
- For Google-published models use the model name directly, e.g. "gemini-2.0-flash-001". For third-party publishers (Anthropic, Meta, etc.) use the full publisher path, e.g. "publishers/anthropic/models/claude-3-5-sonnet-v2@20241022".
- The examples expect GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT; rename it only if your application config maps the new variable.
Compare DeepSeek R1 Across Providers
| Provider | Input (per 1M) | Output (per 1M) |
|---|---|---|
| DeepSeek Platform | $0.55 | $2.19 |
| OpenRouter | $0.70 | $2.50 |
| Together AI | $3.00 | $7.00 |
| Fireworks AI | $0.56 | $1.68 |
| NVIDIA NIM | — | — |
Pricing
| Type | Price (per 1M) |
|---|---|
| Input tokens | $1.35 |
| Output tokens | $5.40 |
Capabilities
About DeepSeek R1
DeepSeek R1: Reasoning-optimized model with extended thinking capabilities. 128K context.
FAQ
What does DeepSeek R1 cost on GCP Vertex AI?
On GCP Vertex AI, DeepSeek R1 costs $1.35 per 1M input tokens and $5.40 per 1M output tokens.
What is the context window for DeepSeek R1 on GCP Vertex AI?
DeepSeek R1 supports a 128k token context window on GCP Vertex AI.
How does GCP Vertex AI compare to other DeepSeek R1 providers?
DeepSeek R1 is available from 14 providers. The cheapest input pricing is $0.1/1M tokens from Bitdeer AI.
Who created DeepSeek R1?
DeepSeek R1 was created by DeepSeek as part of the DeepSeek R1 model family.
Is DeepSeek R1 open source?
DeepSeek R1 is open source under MIT according to the seed data.