Kimi K3 vs Kimi K2.5
Side-by-side VRAM requirements, benchmark scores, and GPU compatibility for local AI inference.
Quick verdict
Kimi K2.5 is more hardware-efficient — it needs 683.2 GB at Q4_K_M vs 1910.3 GB for Kimi K3, fitting on 1 GPUs natively.
VRAM at each quantization (8k context)
FP32
Kimi K3
12544.5 GB
Kimi K2.5
4481.1 GB
BF16
Kimi K3
6272.5 GB
Kimi K2.5
2241.1 GB
FP16
Kimi K3
6272.5 GB
Kimi K2.5
2241.1 GB
Q8_0
Kimi K3
3334.0 GB
Kimi K2.5
1191.7 GB
Q6_K
Kimi K3
2575.1 GB
Kimi K2.5
920.7 GB
Q5_K_M
Kimi K3
2233.3 GB
Kimi K2.5
798.6 GB
Q4_K_M
Kimi K3
1910.3 GB
Kimi K2.5
683.2 GB
Q3_K_M
Kimi K3
1508.9 GB
Kimi K2.5
539.9 GB
Q2_K
Kimi K3
1195.3 GB
Kimi K2.5
427.9 GB
NVFP4
Kimi K3
1568.5 GB
Kimi K2.5
561.1 GB
| Quant | Kimi K3 | Kimi K2.5 | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| FP32 | 12544.5 GB | 4481.1 GB | +180% |
| BF16 | 6272.5 GB | 2241.1 GB | +180% |
| FP16 | 6272.5 GB | 2241.1 GB | +180% |
| Q8_0 | 3334.0 GB | 1191.7 GB | +180% |
| Q6_K | 2575.1 GB | 920.7 GB | +180% |
| Q5_K_M | 2233.3 GB | 798.6 GB | +180% |
| Q4_K_M | 1910.3 GB | 683.2 GB | +180% |
| Q3_K_M | 1508.9 GB | 539.9 GB | +179% |
| Q2_K | 1195.3 GB | 427.9 GB | +179% |
| NVFP4 | 1568.5 GB | 561.1 GB | +180% |
Diff is Kimi K3 relative to Kimi K2.5. Green = lower VRAM (fits more GPUs).
Model specifications
| Spec | Kimi K3 | Kimi K2.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Org | Moonshot AI | Moonshot AI |
| Parameters | 2800B | 1000B |
| Architecture | MoE (104B active) | MoE (32B active) |
| Context | 1024k tokens | 256k tokens |
| Modalities | text, vision, video | text, vision, video |
| License | Kimi K3 | Modified MIT |
| Commercial | Yes | Yes |
| Released | 2026-07-16 | 2026-01-27 |
| GPUs (native) | 0 / 107 | 1 / 107 |
Benchmark scores
| Benchmark | Kimi K3 | Kimi K2.5 |
|---|---|---|
| GPQA Diamond | 93.5 | 87.6 |
| SWE-bench Verified | 76.8 | — |
| Terminal-Bench 2.1 | 88.3 | — |
| Arena ELO | 1486.0 | — |
Green = higher score (better). — = not yet available.
GPUs that run only Kimi K3(0)
Every GPU that runs Kimi K3 also runs Kimi K2.5.
GPUs that run only Kimi K2.5(1)
- Apple M3 Ultra (512GB)512 GB
Which should you use?
Choose Kimi K3 if:
- • You want maximum capability and have a 1911 GB+ GPU
- • Long context matters — it supports 1024k tokens vs 256k
Choose Kimi K2.5 if:
- • You have limited VRAM — it's a smaller model needing 683.2 GB vs 1910.3 GB
Frequently asked questions
- Which is better, Kimi K3 or Kimi K2.5?
- Kimi K3 has 2800B parameters vs 1000B for Kimi K2.5, so Kimi K3 is the larger model. Kimi K2.5 is more hardware-efficient, needing 683.2 GB at Q4_K_M vs 1910.3 GB. Kimi K2.5 runs on more GPUs natively (1 vs 0).
- How much VRAM does Kimi K3 need vs Kimi K2.5?
- At Q4_K_M quantization with 8k context, Kimi K3 needs approximately 1910.3 GB of VRAM, while Kimi K2.5 needs 683.2 GB. At FP16, Kimi K3 requires 6272.5 GB vs 2241.1 GB for Kimi K2.5.
- Can you run Kimi K3 on the same GPUs as Kimi K2.5?
- These models have very different VRAM requirements, so they do not share the same compatible GPU set.
- What is the difference between Kimi K3 and Kimi K2.5?
- Kimi K3 has 2800B parameters (104B active, MoE) with a 1024k context window. Kimi K2.5 has 1000B parameters (32B active, MoE) with a 256k context window. Licensing differs: Kimi K3 is Kimi K3 while Kimi K2.5 is Modified MIT.
- Which model fits in 24 GB of VRAM, Kimi K3 or Kimi K2.5?
- Neither fits in 24 GB at Q4_K_M — Kimi K3 needs 1910.3 GB and Kimi K2.5 needs 683.2 GB. Both require at least a 48 GB GPU.