business
Moonshot Releases 2.8-Trillion-Parameter Kimi K3 Model at Shanghai Conference
Chinese startup Moonshot launched its Kimi K3 AI system on July 17. The model drew large crowds at the World AI Conference in Shanghai the next day and prompted the company to pause new subscriptions.
Jul 20, 10:38 PM·1m read2 sources
The Japan TimesAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Moonshot released its Kimi K3 model on July 17. The 2.8-trillion-parameter system is described as the world’s largest open-weight AI model. The Japan Times reported that the launch occurred days before the World AI Conference opened in Shanghai on July 18.
Crowds at the conference moved past the larger booths of Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings to reach Moonshot’s display. The Japan Times reported that Moonshot’s booth attracted more visitors than those of the two larger companies. The startup exhausted its supply of branded merchandise within hours over the July 18-19 weekend.
Elon Musk publicly praised the release, The Japan Times reported. Moonshot founder Yang Zhilin, 33, previously worked at Meta Platforms and Alphabet’s Google after earning a degree from Carnegie Mellon University. The surge in interest strained the company’s compute resources.
Moonshot paused new Kimi subscriptions after the launch. The company is now seeking additional funding and preparing for a possible listing in Hong Kong, Reuters reported.
Transparency
How sources framed this
These outlets didn't split into competing frames — coverage was uniform.
CorroborationModerate · 2 sources
