Alibaba plans to charge big users of its next open-source AI model, sources say

Chinese tech giant Alibaba is considering charging major users of its upcoming open-source AI model, Qwen3.8-Max, according to sources familiar with its plans. Unlike US tech giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, Alibaba's Qwen3.8-Max features open-source weights, allowing developers to download and use the underlying settings.

This move follows a similar revenue-sharing provision set by Moonshot for its Kimi K3 model, which requires any commercial user generating over $20 million in annual sales to agree to a commercial agreement. Alibaba already charges developers for use of its models on its cloud platform but currently allows their use in customers' data centers without payment.

The new revenue-sharing strategy highlights the trend of Chinese AI firms adopting business models similar to those of US rivals in order to gain market share. While details on the exact revenue-sharing rate for Alibaba's Qwen3.8-Max are still being negotiated, the move is expected to follow the successful model of other Chinese AI firms, as well as the licensing terms set by Moonshot for its Kimi K3 model.