Microsoft is reportedly evaluating DeepSeek’s open-source V4 model for its enterprise AI agent platform, Copilot Cowork, as a lower-cost alternative alongside offerings from Anthropic and OpenAI, according to Axios. This evaluation marks a significant endorsement of open-source AI in enterprise environments as Microsoft shifts Copilot Cowork from a flat-rate to a pay-per-use pricing model. The move reflects a broader industry trend towards multi-model AI strategies driven by rising AI agent costs, as token consumption has surged with AI agents performing autonomous reasoning and task execution. Artificial Analysis estimates DeepSeek V4 Pro costs just $0.05 per task and V4 Flash $0.03, compared with $1.07 for GPT-5.5 and $2.05 for Claude Opus 4.8. While DeepSeek trails leading proprietary models in benchmark scores, industry observers view the performance trade-off as acceptable given the substantial savings. Citigroup described the trend as “not an overstatement to label it ‘DeepSeek Shock 2,’” adding that “AI models are rapidly becoming commoditized, and companies will build multi-model AI systems.” The rise of DeepSeek and other Chinese open-source models also reflects improving capabilities, growing real-world adoption, and increasing demand for sovereign AI.