Moonshot AI temporarily halted the sale of new Kimi K3 subscriptions after the model's launch generated a volume of access far above expectations. In just two days, demand consumed practically all available GPU capacity, leading the company to prioritize customers who already have active plans.
Kimi K3 arrived on the market in mid-July as an open-weights model, a format that allows developers and companies to download its parameters and run the technology in their own environments. With about 2.8 trillion parameters, the system is among the largest artificial intelligence models made publicly available.
In a statement, Moonshot AI explained that the accelerated growth in usage made a temporary pause in new subscriptions necessary. The measure seeks to preserve service quality while the company expands its processing infrastructure.
Users who already have a subscription continue to have normal access to the tools. New customers, meanwhile, will have to wait for openings, which will happen gradually as new computing resources are incorporated into the platform.
At the same time, the company reformulated its subscription strategy. The services were divided into two distinct groups: one dedicated to Kimi Web, App and Work, and another exclusive to Kimi Code Membership, developed for professionals who use the model in programming tasks.
According to the company, this reorganization will allow better distribution of computing capacity among different usage profiles, reducing bottlenecks and improving platform stability during periods of higher demand.
Moonshot AI's rapid expansion also appears in its financial results. In June, the startup reported annual recurring revenue of approximately US$ 300 million, driven mainly by the growth in the use of its API by companies and developers.
The progress also raised the company's market valuation. After surpassing US$ 20 billion in May, Moonshot AI is negotiating a new investment round that could take its value to more than US$ 30 billion. In parallel, the company began preparations for a possible public listing in Hong Kong in the coming months.
Founded in 2023 by Yang Zhilin, a former professor at Tsinghua University, Moonshot AI is competing for space in the competitive Chinese artificial intelligence market. The temporary suspension of new subscriptions highlights a challenge faced by companies that launch large-scale models: expanding infrastructure at the same speed as demand for services grows.
