Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has launched a preview version of its flagship Qwen3.8 Max model, which the company describes as comparable to leading frontier AI models and second only to Anthropic PBC's Fable 5.
The Sunday release came only days after Chinese startup Moonshot AI unveiled Kimi K3, a powerful model whose performance rivals top offerings from Anthropic and OpenAI, helping upend perceptions of China's AI capabilities while roiling global technology stocks.
Qwen3.8 Max has 2.4 trillion parameters, making it one of the largest models publicly announced. Developers can now access the model through Alibaba's coding platforms, including Qoder. The company plans to make the model open-weight soon, expanding access beyond the preview release.
The launch intensifies the AI arms race between Chinese and American companies. Moonshot's Kimi K3 boasts 2.8 trillion parameters, and the startup is reportedly planning an IPO within six months of its breakthrough.
Alibaba recently scored a significant victory when Beijing approved Apple Intelligence, with Alibaba serving as the technology partner for Apple's AI offering in China — a move that underscores the intertwined nature of Chinese tech and US consumer electronics.
The rapid succession of powerful Chinese AI models has rattled global markets and raised questions about whether the perceived American lead in AI is narrowing faster than expected.
