China’s Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi Model, Threatening America’s Lead

The contest between China and the United States for supremacy in artificial intelligence escalated on Friday when the Chinese start-up Moonshot AI released a new A.I. model that appeared to narrow the lead held by well-funded American competitors.

Moonshot said that the model, Kimi K3, was the world’s largest open-source A.I. system, allowing anyone to use, modify and build on it freely. The company said that Kimi K3 performed as well as leading models from OpenAI and Anthropic at some key tasks.

The release coincided with an address by Xi Jinping, China’s leader, in which he outlined an ambitious vision for global A.I. development that cast China as the champion of an open approach to the technology.

“A.I. development should not be a solo performance by a single country but a symphony of international cooperation,” Mr. Xi said. China was “ready to work with all parties to seize the opportunities of A.I. development,” he said.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/17/business/china-ai-moonshot-kimi.html