iFlytek Launches Spark X2.6: Trained on Domestic Compute, Cloud Model Priced Below DeepSeek V4.1 Flash

On October 22, iFlytek unveiled several new achievements, including the end-cloud integrated large model Spark X2.6, the speech foundation model SparkAudio 1.0, and hardware products such as the iFlytek AI Recording Ring and AI Glasses. The release highlights capabilities upgraded using fully domestic computing power and an end-cloud collaborative architecture tailored for specific industry needs.

The Spark X2.6 model includes a cloud-based 293-A30B model and an edge-side X2.6-4B model, which has been open-sourced. The cloud model supports a million-token context window, with input prices at 0.9 yuan per million tokens and output prices at 3.6 yuan per million tokens. iFlytek claims these prices are lower than those of DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 for cache misses and outputs. According to official test results, the Spark X2.6-4B outperforms its predecessor Spark-X2.5-4B and competitors like Qwen3.5-4B and Gemma4-E4B in tasks such as information search, document processing, and schedule management.

Technically, iFlytek reported that on the 'Feixing No. 2' domestic supercomputing platform, training time for 2000B data with 256K length was reduced from 4.5 months to 1.2 months, improving ultra-long context training efficiency by 4x. In inference, a four-layer KV Cache architecture on domestic hardware increased the KV Cache hit rate from 63% to 95.7%, boosting inference efficiency by 4.5x compared to pre-optimization levels.

Strategically, iFlytek founder Liu Qingfeng stated that 60% of future tasks will run locally, 30% via cloud collaboration, and 10% independently in the cloud. This vision drives the end-cloud integrated design, aiming to balance performance, cost, and data security. For instance, Spark AStudio can process local emails and reports offline, initiating desensitized cloud collaboration requests only when necessary.