Perplexity adds Fast Search to its API, says most results land in 230ms
A new Rust retrieval engine called Photon serves 95 per cent of results in 230 milliseconds or less, according to the company, which has published no comparison.
Perplexity said on Wednesday it had added Fast Search to its Search API, and that the option returns 95 per cent of results in 230 milliseconds or less. The company's API documentation now lists a fast search type, described there as lower-latency, lower-cost web search.
Both figures come from Perplexity. Aravind Srinivas, the chief executive, put the number differently, saying the engine reaches sub-250ms latency at the 95th percentile while still scoring well on relevance and accuracy benchmarks. Neither he nor the company named those benchmarks or published the comparison.
The engine is called Photon, which Perplexity describes as a Rust-based retrieval and ranking service. The company said a small team of engineers built it with hundreds of agents. Srinivas said those agents were auto-research loops run by a more capable internal version of Perplexity Computer.
The two accounts differ on the latency. Perplexity's post gives 230 milliseconds for 95 per cent of results. Srinivas cites sub-250ms at the 95th percentile. The documentation carries neither number, and lists no price for the fast tier. Nobody outside Perplexity has measured either claim.