# Alibaba’s lightweight Qwen model takes on larger AI systems from OpenAI, DeepSeek, Zhipu > Source: > Published: 2026-08-18 12:00:05+00:00 # Alibaba’s lightweight Qwen model takes on larger AI systems from OpenAI, DeepSeek, Zhipu Chinese tech giant’s latest offering performed on par with OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Luna and nearly matched DeepSeek, Zhipu’s open-weight models [AI model Qwen3.8-27B](https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3362738/alibabas-ai-model-qwen38-max-made-widely-accessible-ahead-open-weights-release?module=inline&pgtype=article)has matched much larger near-frontier rivals while being able to run on everyday hardware, impressing developers as local AI gains momentum. The Qwen3.8-27B, a small model with 27 billion parameters, performed on par with OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Luna, which was billed as the most cost-efficient model in the US lab’s latest flagship series, benchmark firm Artificial Analysis said on Monday. [open-weight models from Chinese firms](https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3364190/hong-kong-firm-bets-chinese-open-weight-models-rival-coreweave?module=inline&pgtype=article), including [DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813](https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3363895/deepseeks-updated-v4-pro-ai-model-struggles-benchmarks-shines-cybersecurity?module=inline&pgtype=article), released last week with 1.7 trillion parameters, and Zhipu’s 753-billion-parameter GLM-5.2 launched in June, according to the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. OpenAI, which launched the GPT-5.6 family last month, does not disclose the parameter counts of its models. The new findings came days after Alibaba released Qwen3.8-27B’s model weights – the underlying parameters that encode its intelligence – last Friday. On Artificial Analysis’ Agentic Index, which measures models’ performance in AI agent-focused workflows, Alibaba’s small model outperformed GPT-5.6 series’ mid-tier model Terra and Anthropic’s powerful Claude Opus 4.8 released in May.