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Alibaba launches Qwen3 AI, claims it's better than DeepSeek R1: Details
Alibaba Group Holding unveiled the third generation of its open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model Qwen3 series, on Tuesday, raising the stakes in an increasingly competitive Chinese and global AI market. The Qwen3 family boasts faster processing speeds and expanded multilingual capabilities compared to other AI models, including DeepSeek-R1 and OpenAI's o1.
What is the Qwen3 series?
The Qwen3 range features eight models, varying from 600 million to 235 billion parameters, each offering performance improvements, according to Alibaba's cloud computing division. Parameters, often seen as a measure of an AI model's complexity and capability, are essential for tasks such as language understanding, coding, and mathematical problem-solving.
How do Qwen3 models compare to rivals?
According to benchmark tests, cited by the developors, the Qwen3-235B and Qwen3-4B models either matched or outperformed advanced competitors from both Chinese and international companies — including OpenAI's o1, Google's Gemini, and DeepSeek's R1 — particularly in instruction following, coding support, text generation, mathematical problem-solving, and complex reasoning.
"Qwen3 represents a significant milestone in our journey towards artificial general intelligence and artificial superintelligence," the Qwen team added, highlighting that enhanced pre-training and reinforcement learning had resulted in a marked leap in the models' intelligence.
"Notably, our smaller MoE model, Qwen3-30B-A3B, surpasses QwQ-32B, and even the compact Qwen3-4B rivals the performance of the much larger Qwen2.5-72B-Instruct," the company added in a blog post on the launch. ALSO READ |
Qwen3 introduces 'hybrid reasoning' capability
One of the standout features of the Qwen3 series is its hybrid reasoning capability. Users can select between a slower but deeper "thinking" mode for complex tasks and a faster "non-thinking" mode for quicker, simpler responses. This flexibility aims to cater to diverse user needs, from casual interactions to advanced problem-solving.
In contrast, DeepSeek-R1 primarily uses Chain-of-Thought (CoT) reasoning, a method where the model generates a sequence of thought steps or reasoning processes before providing a final answer.
Training for the Qwen3 models involved 36 trillion tokens across 119 languages and dialects, tripling the language scope achieved by its predecessor, Qwen2.5. This expansion is expected to significantly enhance the models' ability to understand and generate multilingual content.
Where and how to use Qwen3?
The new Qwen3 models are available for download on platforms such as Hugging Face, ModelScope, Kaggle, and Microsoft's GitHub. Alibaba recommends deployment using frameworks like SGLang and vLLM, while users who prefer local integration can turn to tools such as Ollama, LMStudio, MLX, llama.cpp, and KTransformers.
Global AI race
The release of Qwen3 arrives at a time when the global AI landscape is witnessing a surge of new developments. Baidu recently unveiled two upgraded models, and DeepSeek's R2 launch is also anticipated soon.
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Last Updated: Moscow has renewed its call to revive the Russia-India-China trilateral, dormant since the 2020 Galwan clash. But its timing and what it stands to gain tell a bigger story THE BIG PICTURE For the first time since 2020, Russia has openly called for reviving the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral format. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at a security conference in Eurasia in the city of Perm on May 29, said the 'time has come" to restart RIC meetings, adding that, in his view, India and China have reached an understanding on easing border tensions. 'I would like to confirm our genuine interest in the earliest resumption of the work within the format of the troika — Russia, India, China — which was established many years ago on the initiative of (ex-Russian prime minister) Yevgeny Primakov, and which has organised meetings more than 20 times at the ministerial level since then, not only at the level of foreign policy chiefs, but also the heads of other economic, trade and financial agencies of the three countries," Lavrov was quoted as saying by TASS. Big Statement by Russian FM Sergey Lavrov says 'it seems to me that the time has come to revive this Russia, India & China Troika" — Siddhant Mishra (@siddhantvm) May 30, 2025 The RIC platform, originally launched in the late 1990s, has remained dormant since the deadly Galwan clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in June 2020. While Russia had hinted at trilateral engagement during the BRICS Summit in Kazan in 2024, Lavrov's latest pitch marks the most explicit call to formally revive the RIC mechanism since Galwan. Lavrov's renewed pitch signals much more than just a procedural revival — it reflects Moscow's shifting diplomatic calculus amid changing global alignments. So, why now? What is driving Russia's push? And where does India fit into this strategic triangle? Here's a detailed look. The RIC grouping was first proposed by former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov as part of Moscow's vision for a multipolar world order. Over the years, it has convened more than 20 times at various levels, bringing together foreign ministers, trade officials, economic agencies, and security experts from the three Asian powers to foster dialogue on a range of issues. However, after the Galwan clash led to a sharp deterioration in India-China relations, the platform effectively went dormant. 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Russia's Growing Anxiety Over India's Western Alignment Since Galwan, India has steadily deepened its ties with the United States, Japan, Australia — particularly through the Quad — as well as newer groupings like I2U2 and multiple Western defence partnerships. This growing alignment with Western powers, especially in defence, technology, and supply chain domains, has deepened Moscow's anxieties about India drifting further into the Western camp. For Russia, reviving RIC offers a way to keep India engaged within a non-Western multilateral space, while allowing Moscow to retain its role as a balancing player between its two key Asian partners. The NATO Factor: A Direct Warning Lavrov directly accused NATO of attempting to 'lure India into anti-China intrigues", describing it as a 'large provocation" that India is fully aware of. 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The revival of RIC allows Moscow to project continued relevance as a power capable of influencing dialogue between Asia's two major players. It also aligns with Russia's broader vision of strengthening non-Western institutions that can serve as alternatives to Western-led alliances. WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR INDIA? For India, this renewed Russian pitch presents both opportunities and challenges. While New Delhi maintains strong historical ties with Moscow, deep distrust persists with China due to unresolved border disputes. India's foreign policy rests on its ability to maintain strategic autonomy, avoiding being locked into any single camp, whether Western or non-Western. If RIC discussions are revived, India could engage while continuing to maintain its partnerships with the United States, Quad members, and other emerging alliances. THE BOTTOM LINE Lavrov's call to revive RIC is about more than simply restarting old meetings. It reflects Russia's broader effort to navigate shifting global alignments, counterbalance growing Western influence in Asia, and reassert its diplomatic weight as a Eurasian power broker. For India, the revival of RIC is another test of its ability to walk the tightrope between multiple global partnerships, unresolved regional tensions, and its long-standing pursuit of strategic autonomy. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk More Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : galwan clashes india russia china Sergey Lavrov Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: May 30, 2025, 15:25 IST News explainers Why Is Moscow Pushing To Revive The Russia-India-China Troika Now?
