OpenRouter + o10

OpenRouter aggregates providers; o10 adds eval-gated routing, shadow mode, and spend enforcement across OpenRouter and other venues. o10 integrates above OpenRouter, not as a replacement. Preserving developer ergonomics while adding eval-gated routing, shadow-mode savings proof, spend enforcement, and KYI governance. Traffic flows through the control plane; o10 selects the cheapest compliant model across OpenRouter and other connected venues per use-case policy.

Shadow mode mirrors live inference traffic through o10 without changing production routes. For every request, o10 evaluates candidate models against your per-use-case quality floors and records which route would have been cheapest and compliant. Along with the cost delta, while the original provider still serves the response. Engineering sees proof without production risk; finance gets a verified savings figure tied to your traffic, not industry averages. Most teams run shadow for 7–14 days segmented by use case (support, RAG, code, batch) before flipping enforce mode.

o10 unifies routing across per-token API gateways (unified inference gateway), OpenRouter (multi-provider aggregator), Amazon Bedrock (per-token and committed capacity), and owned or open-weight infrastructure. A single control plane sits above all venues. You do not need separate dashboards per provider. o10 selects the cheapest eval-passing route per call and holds budget envelopes. Committed Bedrock drawdown and open-weight routing are first-class venues, not afterthoughts.

Most stacks connect o10 in shadow mode within a day: point traffic through the control plane, segment by use case, and start the verified savings clock. Enforce mode follows after per-use-case eval equivalence is proven. Typically one to two weeks for enterprises with multiple workloads. No six-week gateway migration is required; o10 sits above existing gateways and clouds. KYI scoring and the immutable ledger stay live from day one in shadow.

Know Your Inference (KYI) is a governance framework by o10 that scores inference systems across five weighted pillars: Performance (25%), Economics (25%), Integration (20%), Strategy (20%), and Risk (10%). Each pillar scores 0–100; the composite rolls into a confidence level and board-signable recommendation. KYI runs continuously in the o10 control plane, not as a one-off audit. So every routed call and eval updates the score. A composite floor of 65 triggers enforcement levers: cap, rightsizing, or sunset per policy.

o10 pricing combines a governance fee for the control plane (evals, KYI, policy, ledger) with gainshare on verified shadow savings. You pay a share of savings only when they are proven against your baseline, not estimated. Shadow mode is the audit that establishes the baseline. This aligns incentives: o10 wins when compliant routing reduces your fully loaded inference cost per use case.

The KYI whitepaper explains the framework’s performance, economics, integration, strategy, and risk pillars. Read it alongside the practical governance guide.

Enforce mode places o10 in the request path. On every call, o10 selects the cheapest eval-passing model within your budget envelope before the request reaches the provider. Failed eval candidates are never routed. Each enforced call writes an immutable ledger entry: model, venue, and fully loaded cost. Jurisdiction and data-residency venue controls are on the roadmap, not enforced today. Enforce without shadow proof is possible but discouraged. Shadow establishes trust with engineering and finance first.

Savings are verified against your own shadow baseline per use case, not industry averages or vendor marketing claims. o10 mirrors a week or more of production traffic, segments by workload, and compares what you actually spent versus what you would have spent on the cheapest eval-passing route at the same quality floor. Finance signs off on the delta before enforce mode flips. Gainshare pricing ties o10 fees to this verified number, so savings must be real and auditable.