I ran latency tests on 5 major AI API providers from Asia. The results surprised me.
Why Latency Matters
When building AI applications, every millisecond counts. For a chat interface with 10 back-and-forth messages:
- 300ms latency = 3 seconds of total wait time
- 80ms latency = 0.8 seconds total
That's the difference between a snappy app and a frustrating experience.
The Test Setup
I tested from 3 locations in Asia:
- Singapore (AWS)
- Tokyo (GCP)
- Hong Kong (Alibaba Cloud)
Tested providers:
- OpenAI (US West)
- Anthropic (US East)
- OpenRouter (US)
- NovAI (Hong Kong)
- DeepSeek (China)
Results: First Token Latency (ms)
| Provider | Singapore | Tokyo | Hong Kong | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NovAI | 75ms | 82ms | 68ms | 75ms |
| DeepSeek | 145ms | 160ms | 120ms | 142ms |
| OpenAI | 220ms | 235ms | 195ms | 217ms |
| Anthropic | 245ms | 260ms | 220ms | 242ms |
| OpenRouter | 210ms | 225ms | 185ms | 207ms |
Key Findings
1. Geography beats everything
Hong Kong-based servers are 3x faster than US-based ones from Asia.
2. Network quality matters
CN2 GIA routing (NovAI) vs standard internet makes a 20-30ms difference.
3. Provider optimizations
Some providers use edge caching and connection pooling to reduce latency.
Real-World Impact
I migrated my OpenClaw app from OpenRouter to NovAI:
- Before: 2.3s average response time
- After: 0.9s average response time
- User satisfaction scores improved 40%
Methodology
Tests were run over 7 days, 100 requests per provider per location. Measured time to first token (TTFT) using identical prompts.
Full details: https://aiapi-pro.com/blog/ai-api-latency-test
What latency are you seeing from your location?
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