Alibaba показала Qwen3.8-Max-Preview: по её данным уступает только Claude Fable 5

Alibaba on July 19, 2026 unveiled a preview of its flagship model Qwen3.8-Max-Preview with 2.4 trillion parameters and claimed that in quality it is second only to Claude Fable 5 from Anthropic.

What Alibaba showed

Alibaba Group Holding released Qwen3.8-Max-Preview — a preview version of the strongest next-generation model in the Qwen family, called Qwen3.8. The Chinese tech corporation announced this in an official post on social network X on July 19, 2026. The model has 2.4 trillion parameters — according to Alibaba's own wording, this makes it "one of the most powerful" models available today.

The "Max" suffix in the name denotes the senior, most capable configuration in the Qwen lineup, while "Preview" means this is an early version for testing, not the final release.

Key facts from the announcement:

• Model — Qwen3.8-Max-Preview, the flagship of the new generation of the Qwen family (Qwen3.8)
• Size — 2.4 trillion parameters
• Positioning — according to Alibaba, it is second only to Claude Fable 5 from Anthropic
• Access — Token Plan subscription, as well as the agentic platforms Qoder and Qoder Work
• Announcement date — July 19, 2026, post on social network X

Where you can try the model

Qwen3.8-Max-Preview is already available across three Alibaba services. The company opened it up on the Token Plan subscription and on its agentic platforms Qoder and Qoder Work — meaning the model is built not only for chat but also for agentic scenarios, where AI executes chains of actions and works with code.

The choice of platforms shows who the launch is aimed at: Token Plan provides subscription access, while Qoder and Qoder Work are agentic environments geared toward developers and task automation. In other words, Alibaba is offering Qwen3.8-Max-Preview primarily to those who embed the model into products and workflows.

The Preview status means Alibaba is gathering feedback, and the specifications may still change before the full release. The company did not name an exact date for the final release or the cost of access in the announcement.

Why this matters for the market

Qwen3.8-Max-Preview is a direct claim by the Chinese developer to second place in the global race of large language models. Alibaba publicly ranks its new model right behind Claude Fable 5 from Anthropic — meaning, by its own assessment, above all other competitors.

"Qwen3.8-Max-Preview is second only to

Claude Fable 5 from Anthropic," the official Alibaba post on social network X states.

The statement should be read with a caveat: it is the company's self-assessment, not the result of an independent benchmark. Nevertheless, the very fact that Alibaba measures itself against Claude Fable 5 shows which model is currently considered the quality benchmark in the market. The scale of 2.4 trillion parameters puts Qwen3.8-Max-Preview in the same league as the industry's largest frontier models.

What this means

Chinese labs continue to narrow the gap with the leaders: Alibaba has released a frontier-class model with 2.4 trillion parameters and openly positions it as second only to Claude Fable 5. For users, this is another strong player and rising competition — but there is no independent verification of the claimed quality yet.

Frequently asked questions

How many parameters does Qwen3.8-Max-Preview have?

According to Alibaba, the model has 2.4 trillion parameters. The company calls it "one of the most powerful" in the Qwen family and in the market overall.

Where is Qwen3.8-Max-Preview available?

The model is open on the Alibaba Token Plan subscription, as well as on the agentic platforms Qoder and Qoder Work. This is the Preview version, so the specifications may change before the final release.