Moonshot AI released Kimi K3, a 2.8-trillion-parameter open-weight model, on July 17, 2026.

Moonshot AI released Kimi K3, a 2.8-trillion-parameter open-weight model, on July 17, 2026. The model is described as the largest open-source model ever and achieves performance comparable to Opus 4.8 at Sonnet 5 pricing (Latent Space). Coverage highlights that Kimi K3 changes the narrative from cheap Chinese models to premium AI capability (Pandaily). Bloomberg reported that the model upends conventional wisdom on US lead over China (Bloomberg). Semafor noted that the model threatens AI business models and caused Nvidia's stock to dip on fears of China closing the gap, while also pointing out that running the model requires expensive Nvidia clusters (Semafor). The Economic Times linked the release to a broader semiconductor selloff, with the chip index entering a bear market (Economic Times). Moneycontrol echoed the debate on whether China can overtake the US in AI (Moneycontrol). The product also launched on Product Hunt (Product Hunt).

What the sources said

• "a great week for open models continues" (Latent Space)
• "World Third Strongest With Fable-Level Feel: Moonshot AI 2.8 Trillion Parameter Kimi K3 Breaks Open-Source Records" (Pandaily)
• "The AI world is going nuts over the Kimi K3 AI model... it's good news for Nvidia because running it requires expensive GPU clusters." (Semafor)
• "The pullback reflects profit-taking and rising scrutiny of AI capex sustainability." (Economic Times)