# Alibaba’s Qwen hits 3 billion downloads, outpacing China and US AI rivals > Source: > Published: 2026-08-16 08:41:48+00:00 # Alibaba’s Qwen hits 3 billion downloads, outpacing China and US AI rivals Download and derivative-model figures are one measure of influence in the US-China AI race ALIBABA Group Holding’s open-weight models have accumulated more than 3 billion global downloads in the past six months, eclipsing Meta Platforms, Alphabet and domestic peers to become the world’s No 1 artificial-intelligence model. Qwen, Alibaba’s family of AI models, has open-sourced more than 460 models and its ecosystem has spawned 300,000-plus derivatives, the Chinese technology company said in an e-mailed statement. Google, part of Alphabet, had 418 million downloads while Meta stood at 227 million in 2026, according to popular open-source AI hub Hugging Face, which published a state of open models report on Friday (Aug 14). Open models can be downloaded, customised and used as building blocks for new AI products, making adoption a gauge of which technologies developers are choosing to build on. That has made download and derivative-model figures one measure of influence in the US-China AI race, as Chinese developers, including Alibaba, push capable models that are relatively cheap and easy to adapt. Qwen’s rise suggests that strategy is gaining traction beyond China. Qwen along with Moonshot AI, DeepSeek and Chinese AI model builders are [replicating frontier performance,](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/telcos-media-tech/alibaba-releases-new-qwen-ai-model-performance-rivalling-anthropics-fable) seeking to bridge the gap with closed models in US, such as OpenAI and Anthropic. Export controls on chips and AI systems, such as the [brief ban on overseas access to Anthropic’s Fable 5 model](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion-features/anthropic-vs-trump-administration-who-decides-use-advanced-ai) this summer, do not appear to be putting the brakes on Chinese competitors. Alibaba’s download data for Qwen makes it “one of the largest foundations of the open AI ecosystem,” the Hugging Face report said. The Hangzhou-based cloud, e-commerce and AI tech company is making gains over local rivals DeepSeek, Moonshot Kimi and MiniMax as well as US models. “Qwen has become part of the default workflow for developers deciding what models to fine-tune and deploy,” the report said. A broad model family can create a self-reinforcing ecosystem: more developers adopt the models, more derivative versions are built, and that in turn draws in new users. Alibaba has bolstered that cycle by distributing Qwen through its cloud platform to enterprise customers in markets including South-east Asia and Africa, giving it a reach that many rivals lack. US tech giants are responding. In recent weeks, Meta and Nvidia have released new open AI models as competition for developers intensifies. BLOOMBERG Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free. Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services [TRENDING NOW](/pulse?ref=trending-now) When every phone becomes a satellite phone, what happens to Asia’s telcos? Too little, too late? Manila’s billion-dollar bid to ignite its sputtering EV industry Vietnam seeks US$76 billion a year from capital markets to ease reliance on banks HKEX offers deeper capital pools to primary, secondary listings from S-E Asia