Kimi K3 by Moonshot AI was ranked on par with Claude Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol upon its release last week
Promotional image for Kimi K3. (via Moonshot AI)
Chinese startup Moonshot AI has released Kimi K3, an open-source AI model with specifications on par with Anthropic and OpenAI’s newest models. Observers say that China is narrowing the gap between it and the front-runners of the AI industry, and could potentially threaten the US’ current market dominance. Moonshot AI launched Kimi K3, its next-generation large language model (LLM), on Friday. The company introduced the model as being able to reach 2.8 trillion parameters, calling it the “world’s first open-source model in the 3-trillion-parameter class,” stating that it was designed for use in a variety of scenarios, including coding, knowledge work, and reasoning. Kimi K3 is an open-weight model that allows users to download open-source weights, allowing them to use the model for their own servers and even modify it for their specific needs. To the user, this is beneficial in that they do not have to pay fees to access the developer’s API. It also reduces their dependence on certain companies.Anthropic and OpenAI and other top AI firms in the US operate closed-weight models that do not allow users access to weights. Moonshot said it plans to release all Kimi K3’s weights by July 27. Agencies that assess AI models called Kimi K3 one of the top models currently available. Artificial Analysis, an organization that independently assesses the performance of AI models, gave Kimi K3 a score of 57 points (as of Friday), placing it at No. 3 behind only Claude’s Fable 5 (60 points) and OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol (59 points). Vals AI, another AI model evaluator, placed Kimi K3 behind Fable 5 but ahead of GPT-5.6 Sol. Moonshot said in its announcement that the model “still trails” flagship Claude and GPT models but has demonstrated “frontier-level performance.” While the model features a relatively high token price compared to other open-source Chinese models, it is still much more affordable than Anthropic and OpenAI’s cutting-edge models. Reuters said that the model’s launch “underscores how quickly China’s open AI ecosystem is narrowing the gap with the most advanced US systems.”By Kang Jae-gu, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
