Models
Mistral's new open model can't be downloaded yet
Mistral has launched Mistral Large 4, a one-trillion-parameter model that it presents as open. For now it can only be used through its API; the keys to download it will arrive at the end of October.
The essentials
2 confirmed facts · 2 according to the source · 2 open questions
- Mistral released a preview version of Mistral Large 4, nicknamed Le Chonk, on October 6. It has one trillion parameters.123
- For now it can only be used through Mistral's API. The weights needed to download it will arrive at the end of October, after safety testing.235
- According to the sourceMistral says it excels at cybersecurity, scoring 93% on the Cybench test. No one has independently reproduced those results yet.3
- According to the sourceAccording to MarkTechPost, using the API costs $1.36 per million input text fragments and $4.18 per million output fragments.3
Why it matters
Mistral wants to be the European alternative to closed US AI and open Chinese AI. According to WIRED, the timing works in its favor: Washington limited the distribution of OpenAI and Anthropic models in June, and that has made people think twice about depending on someone else's model. If the weights are released and the results hold up, it will be a serious option for businesses.
The details
The French company released a preview version of Mistral Large 4, nicknamed Le Chonk, on October 6. WIRED reports that anyone will be able to use and adapt it, but TechCrunch points out that today it can only be accessed through a Mistral service with safety filters. The model's files (the "weights", which let you download it and run it on your own machines) will arrive at the end of October, after safety testing123.
Mistral says it trained the model from scratch, without drawing on the answers of rival models, something the US Government accuses Chinese labs of doing1. According to TechCrunch it used about 4,000 Nvidia graphics cards; MarkTechPost and Simon Willison put the figure at 3,800235. Willison sees it as somewhat behind the best models: 38 points on the Artificial Analysis index, just below DeepSeek 4.1 Flash5.
What we don't know
- Whether the weights will really be released at the end of October, and under what license, which Mistral has not yet announced.
- How much Mistral's results are worth once someone independent repeats them; TechCrunch says its tests are still pending.
Sources
- 1Mistral Says Its New AI Model ‘Le Chonk’ Is the Best Open-Weight Offering Outside of China
- 2Mistral’s new 1T model aims to leapfrog closed and open rivals
- 3Mistral AI Releases Mistral Large 4 (Le Chonk): A 1.05T Parameter Multimodal MoE Model
- 4Mistral Large 4
- 5Introducing Mistral Large 4: Le chonk
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