Alibaba adds commercial restrictions to open-weight Qwen3.8-Max AI model
Alibaba Group Holding has made the core files of its latest flagship AI model Qwen3.8-Max free for anyone to download, as the tech giant introduces new rules requiring large companies to pay for a separate commercial licence to use it. The terms apply to users or their affiliates running a “model as a service” or “AI work assistant” business whose aggregate revenue exceeds US$50 million over any…
Alibaba has released the core files of its latest AI model, Qwen3.8-Max, to the public domain, but introduced new commercial restrictions for large companies. The model, boasting 2.4 trillion parameters, can now be freely downloaded and used, but large enterprises must obtain a separate licence if their annual revenue exceeds US$50 million.
This exemption applies to internal use, where the software, outputs, or underlying model capabilities are not shared with third parties. Alibaba's shift from keeping its most advanced models proprietary aims to promote broader AI development. In China, paid APIs are available for 12 yuan per million input tokens and 36 yuan per million output tokens.
The commercial terms mark a shift in Alibaba's strategy, as Chinese AI labs previously required paid arrangements for open-source models generating revenues above certain thresholds. Alibaba's Qwen3.8-Max is positioned around autonomous capabilities, with tests demonstrating its ability to operate independently for extended periods and generate code, review legal documents, and maintain sustained productivity.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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