Doubao AI Gets Major Upgrade: Faster, Cheaper and Now Open to Developers
Doubao AI Takes a Quantum Leap with Version 2.0
Volcano Engine has unveiled its most significant AI upgrade yet - Doubao Large Model 2.0 delivers dramatic improvements across the board while making the technology more accessible than ever.

Cost Meets Performance
The new version achieves what many thought impossible - better performance at a fraction of the cost. Inference expenses have plummeted by approximately 90% compared to industry leaders, while daily Tokens usage has skyrocketed over 500 times since initial release.
"We've rebuilt the engine while keeping what works," explains a Volcano spokesperson. "The result is AI that doesn't just think better - it thinks cheaper."
Four Models, Endless Possibilities
The update introduces four specialized versions:
- Pro: The powerhouse for complex reasoning and agent tasks
- Lite: Smarter than version 1.8 but lighter on resources
- Mini: Lightning-fast responses at budget-friendly rates
- Code: A developer's dream, optimized for real programming environments
Each model serves distinct needs, from cost-conscious implementations to high-performance applications.
Seeing Is Believing: Multimodal Breakthroughs
The visual understanding capabilities represent some of the most impressive advances:
- Outperforms Gemini3pro in spatial, motion and video comprehension benchmarks
- Excels at interpreting charts and technical diagrams (CharXiv-RQ)
- Surpasses human performance in EgoTempo video analysis tests
The model can now track billiard movements frame-by-frame or provide real-time fitness coaching - capabilities that seemed futuristic just months ago.
Coding Gets Smarter
The Code version brings particularly exciting developments:
- Seamless integration with mainstream IDEs
- Front-end optimizations that slash development time
- Ability to build complex web apps in just five prompt rounds
The "AI Temple Fair" demo showcases this potential - an intricate application now available as open-source material.
Availability and Pricing
The waitlist is gone - APIs are now openly available through Volcano Ark. New developers can start experimenting for as little as ¥8 in their first month.
The Coding Plan package update specifically addresses surging Tokens usage in agent applications, offering smarter resource allocation for programming tasks.
Key Points:
- Inference costs reduced by ~90%
- Four specialized models cover all use cases
- Video understanding now surpasses human benchmarks
- Developer tools significantly enhanced
- APIs immediately available with affordable entry pricing


