Moonshot AI released Kimi K3, a 2.8-trillion-parameter model with a one-million-token context window, available through its apps and paid programming interface, with the model weights promised as a free download by 27 July 2026. Independent analysis places it as the strongest openly available model on raw capability while still roughly four to eight months behind the leading closed models. Its published scores were run at maximum effort settings, so everyday performance is likely to be uneven and lower than the figures suggest.
What changed
Moonshot's previous Kimi models were smaller, and no open-weight model had reached the 3-trillion-parameter class.
What it unlocks
Running a 3-trillion-parameter-class model with freely downloadable weights once released, at a price below the leading closed models.
- 2.8 trillion parameters, 16 of 896 experts active (~50B active)
- $3.00/$15.00 API pricing, modestly cheaper than Opus and Sol
- subscription plans at $19/$39/$99/$199 per month
- 1 million token context window
- open weights promised by July 27, 2026
What you need to act on it
- a paid API or subscription plan for hosted access
- substantial hardware to run the weights locally once released
Sources