A new analysis from llmlatency.dev highlights the critical distinction between Time To First Byte (TTFB) and Time To First Token (TTFT) in AI API performance benchmarks. The study, which continuously measures approximately 45 inference providers across four global regions, reveals that TTFB, a measure of network and provider front-door speed, is often conflated with TTFT, which includes model processing time. The data indicates that model size and type significantly influence TTFT, often overshadowing API provider differences, and that regional latency can vary by as much as 18.9x, making location a crucial factor in perceived speed. AI
IMPACT Clarifies how to interpret AI API latency benchmarks, emphasizing model and location impact over provider differences.
RANK_REASON Analysis of existing AI API performance metrics and their interpretation.
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