Volcano Engine Is Mass-Producing Opus 4.6-Level Models as ByteDance's AI Factory Goes Into Overdrive

ByteDance has launched its Volcano Engine platform, capable of producing models competitive with Anthropic's Opus 4.6 at a lower cost. During the FORCE Conference, President Tan Te unveiled five new models, including Doubao 2.1 Pro, priced at just 68 yuan per month, making it an attractive option for consumers. The new models boast low operational costs, with Doubao 2.1 Pro running at only 20% of Claude Opus 4.6's cost, achieved through techniques like quantization and distillation. Benchmark results show Doubao 2.1 Pro ranking among the top globally across multiple categories.