Zenlayer AI Gateway
Overview
Zenlayer AI Gateway is a unified API platform from edge cloud infrastructure provider Zenlayer that provides centralized access to multiple AI model providers through a single API key. Built on Zenlayer's global private network and 300+ edge nodes, the gateway focuses on low-latency global access, intelligent routing, and multi-provider aggregation. Launched October 2025. The API endpoint is gateway.theturbo.ai and uses an OpenAI-compatible interface format.
Markets
- AI developers needing unified multi-model access with minimal integration effort
- Global enterprises embedding multimodal AI capabilities across regions
- Researchers needing version control and staged release features
- Companies with cross-border AI needs (strong Asia-Pacific and China presence)
Products
- AI Gateway — unified API for chat, image, audio, video, and embedding models
- Distributed Inference — scalable AI inference on global edge infrastructure (launched October 2025)
- Core infrastructure: bare metal, virtual machines, cloud connect, CDN, edge colocation
Supported Models
| Provider | Models | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, o3, o3-mini, gpt-4.1, gpt-4.1-mini, gpt-4.1-nano, o4-mini, gpt-5, gpt-5-chat-latest, gpt-5-mini, gpt-5-nano, gpt-5-codex, gpt-5.1, gpt-5.1-chat-latest, gpt-5.1-codex, gpt-5.1-codex-mini, gpt-5.1-codex-max, gpt-5.2, gpt-5.2-chat-latest, gpt-5.2-codex, gpt-5.3-codex, gpt-5.4, gpt-5.4-pro | 24 models; also image gen/edit, TTS, transcription, Sora video, embeddings |
| Anthropic | claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929, claude-haiku-4-5-20251001, claude-opus-4-5-20251101, claude-opus-4-6, claude-sonnet-4-6, claude-opus-4-7 | Full Claude 4.x lineup; supports both OpenAI and Anthropic protocols; reasoning_effort parameter |
| DeepSeek | deepseek-v3, deepseek-v3.1, deepseek-r1 | Overhauled lineup; deepseek-r1 is first reasoning model on platform |
| gemini-2.0-flash, gemini-2.5-flash, gemini-2.5-pro, gemini-2.5-flash-lite, gemini-2.5-flash-lite-preview-06-17, gemini-3-pro-preview, gemini-3-flash-preview, gemini-3.1-pro-preview, gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview | Chat (OpenAI + native Gemini protocols), Imagen image gen, Gemini TTS, Veo video gen, embeddings | |
| xAI | Grok | Listed in docs |
| Perplexity | Sonar | Listed in docs |
| Zhipu AI | — | Listed in docs |
| ByteDance Doubao | — | Context caching for conversations |
| Baidu ERNIE | — | Listed in docs |
| Moonshot AI | — | Added April 2026 |
| Qwen AI | — | Added April 2026 |
| Stability.ai | — | Image generation and editing |
| Flux | — | Image generation |
| Nano Banana | — | Image generation and editing |
| Alibaba Wan | — | Image generation |
| Vidu | — | Video generation |
Last verified: 2026-04-22
Key Capabilities
| Capability | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI-compatible API | Yes | All models served via /v1/chat/completions; Anthropic also via /v1/messages |
| Multi-provider routing | Yes | Single API key for all providers |
| Intelligent routing | Yes | Auto-routes to best-performing PoP per region |
| Private backbone | Yes | Bypasses public internet congestion |
| Smart failover | Yes | Redundant links for business continuity |
| Streaming | Yes | Standard SSE streaming support |
| Image generation | Yes | OpenAI, Google Imagen, Stability.ai, Flux, Nano Banana, Alibaba Wan |
| Image editing | Yes | OpenAI, Stability.ai, Nano Banana |
| Video generation | Yes | OpenAI Sora, Google Veo, Vidu Video |
| Audio (TTS) | Yes | OpenAI TTS, Google Gemini TTS |
| Audio (transcription) | Yes | OpenAI |
| Embeddings | Yes | OpenAI, Google |
| Usage analytics | Yes | Detailed cost reporting and usage tracking |
| Developer tool integrations | Yes | Cursor, Claude Code, Continue, OpenAI Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI |
| Context caching | Partial | Available for Doubao only |
| Multi-currency billing | Yes | Centralized AI service fee management |
| Compliance / data residency | Yes | Store data in designated regions |
| Conversation routing | Yes | X-Conversation-Id header for cache-efficient multi-turn |
| Load balancing | Yes | Multi-account backend load balancing |
Last verified: 2026-04-22
Pricing
| Tier | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go | Token-based | Per-token pricing via zenConsole; no public rate card |
| Flexible billing | Hourly/monthly/usage | Alternative billing options available |
Last verified: 2026-03-16
URLs to Monitor
| URL | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|
https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/api/compute/aig |
API Docs Index | Documentation overview for all supported providers |
https://www.zenlayer.com/ai-gateway/ |
Product Page | Main product landing page |
https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/welcome/ai-gateway/available-models.md |
Available Models | Model catalog with filtering and pricing |
https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/welcome/ai-gateway/ai-gateway-overview.md |
Gateway Overview | Platform overview and capabilities |
https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/welcome/ai-gateway/ai-gateway-integration.md |
Integrations | Supported developer tools and apps |
https://www.zenlayer.com/blog/ |
Blog | Company blog — occasional AI Gateway announcements |
https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/api-reference/compute/aig/chat-completion/anthropic-claude/anthropic-claude-chat-completion.md |
Anthropic Claude (OpenAI Protocol) | Claude models via OpenAI-compatible API |
https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/api-reference/compute/aig/chat-completion/anthropic-claude/anthropic-claude-message.md |
Anthropic Claude (Anthropic Protocol) | Claude models via native Anthropic API |
https://docs.console.zenlayer.com/api-reference/compute/aig/chat-completion/google-gemini/google-gemini-chat-completion.md |
Google Gemini Chat (OpenAI Protocol) | Gemini models via OpenAI-compatible API |
Strategy
- Leveraging existing global edge infrastructure (300+ PoPs) to differentiate on latency and reliability
- Strong China and Asia-Pacific connectivity — positioning as the gateway for cross-border AI access
- Expanding from infrastructure provider to AI platform with Gateway + Distributed Inference
- Token-based pay-as-you-go pricing to minimize barrier to entry
- OpenAI-compatible API format to ease migration from other providers
- 24/7 support with aggressive SLAs (<15 min response, 95% resolved in 4 hours)
Formidability
Score: 3/10
Low formidability for OpenRouter's core market. Zenlayer is primarily an edge infrastructure company that added AI Gateway as a product extension. Now offers Claude 4.x models (up to Opus 4-7) and Gemini 3.x previews, closing the model gap significantly. Still lacks public pricing transparency, no developer community presence, and no observable traction in the Western AI developer market. Their differentiation is network infrastructure and cross-border connectivity, not AI platform features. Most relevant as a competitor in the Asia-Pacific cross-border AI access niche.