Moonshot’s latest Kimi model is so popular that the company just gated new users
Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI has paused new subscriptions for its Kimi K3 model due to overwhelming demand that strained its GPU capacity. This development highlights the rapid growth of China's AI sector and the global competition for high-end computing resources.
Why it matters
It serves as a barometer for the intensity of the global AI arms race and the critical bottleneck of hardware infrastructure.
Moonshot AI has temporarily paused new subscriptions. CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images Moonshot AI's new Kimi K3 model is so popular, it's straining the company's GPUs. The startup said it saw massive demand over the last two days and had to pause new subscriptions. The new model is the latest sign that China is narrowing the gap with the US in AI. One of China's biggest AI players is struggling to cope with its newfound success. In a Sunday X post, Chinese startup Moonshot AI wrote that its recently released Kimi K3 model has "received far more love" than expected, and its GPUs were feeling the strain. "Over the past 48 hours, demand has pushed close to the limits of our current capacity," the company wrote. "To protect the experience of existing subscribers, we're temporarily pausing new subscriptions and prioritizing compute for current members."
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