Moonshot AI Releases Kimi K3: Open-Weight Multimodal Reasoning Model with 1M Context Window
Moonshot AI has released Kimi K3, an open-weight multimodal reasoning model with a 1-million token context window. The model is priced at $3 per 1M input tokens and $15 per 1M output tokens, available through OpenRouter.
Kimi K3 — Quick Specs
Moonshot AI Releases Kimi K3: Open-Weight Multimodal Reasoning Model with 1M Context Window
Moonshot AI has released Kimi K3, an open-weight multimodal reasoning model with a 1-million token context window. The model is priced at $3 per 1M input tokens and $15 per 1M output tokens, available through OpenRouter.
Model Specifications
Kimi K3 is described by Moonshot AI as an "ultra-large-scale" model designed for complex coding, knowledge work, and long-horizon agentic workflows. The model supports both input and output modalities, with a context window of 1 million tokens — matching the largest available context windows in current AI models.
The model was released on July 15, 2026, according to OpenRouter's listing. It uses Key-Dense Attention (KDA) and Attention Residuals architecture for computational efficiency, though specific parameter counts have not been disclosed.
Capabilities and Use Cases
According to Moonshot AI, Kimi K3 is particularly suited for:
- Navigating large code repositories
- Tool use and debugging
- Iterating against images, logs, tests, and runtime feedback
- Complex coding tasks
- Knowledge work requiring extended context
The model's 1M token context window enables it to process entire codebases or lengthy documents in a single request, which is significant for developers working with large-scale projects.
Availability and Pricing
Kimi K3 is available exclusively through OpenRouter, which forwards requests directly to the model without routing decisions. The pricing structure is:
- Input: $3 per 1M tokens
- Output: $15 per 1M tokens
OpenRouter notes that actual costs can be 60-80% lower than list prices when prompt caching is utilized for repeated context.
What This Means
Kimi K3's release adds another option to the growing field of large-context models, competing with offerings like Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Sonnet (200K context) and Google's Gemini 1.5 Pro (2M context). The "open-weight" designation suggests the model weights are available for download, though licensing terms have not been specified. At $3/$15 per 1M tokens, Kimi K3's pricing is competitive with mid-tier models, though significantly more expensive than some open-source alternatives. The model's focus on coding and agentic workflows positions it as a developer-focused tool, particularly for teams working with large codebases that require multimodal reasoning capabilities.
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