# Kimi K2 Instruct ![Organization](https://img.shields.io/badge/Org-Moonshot%20AI-2196f3) ![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-Apache%202.0-2da44e) ![Weights](https://img.shields.io/badge/Weights-Open-2da44e) ![Released](https://img.shields.io/badge/Released-Jul%202025-555) > **Quick answer:** Kimi K2 Instruct is Moonshot AI's July 2025 open-weight model scoring 93.3% on HumanEval, 81.1% on MMLU-Pro, 59.1% on BFCL-v3, and 9.8% on AetherCode. Under Apache 2.0 with open weights, it delivers top-tier function-calling and academic knowledge benchmarks for an open model. ## At a Glance **Where Kimi K2 Instruct leads** - 93.3% HumanEval — highest among open-weight models on this benchmark - 81.1% MMLU-Pro — matches Llama 4 Maverick (80.5%) on academic knowledge - 59.1% BFCL-v3 — strong tool use and function calling capability - Apache 2.0 — unrestricted commercial use - March 2025 knowledge cutoff — more recent than most 2024-era open models **Where it lags** - 9.8% AetherCode — below Qwen3 32B (16.3%) on agentic coding tasks - Architecture/parameters undisclosed — harder to predict inference requirements - Moonshot AI is less established than Meta/Alibaba in the open-weight ecosystem **Best for:** Open-weight deployments requiring strong function calling (59.1% BFCL-v3), high coding completion (93.3% HumanEval), and broad academic knowledge (81.1% MMLU-Pro). ## What Kimi K2 Instruct Is Kimi K2 Instruct is Moonshot AI's July 2025 instruction-tuned open-weight model. Moonshot AI, the Chinese AI lab behind the Kimi consumer product, released K2 with Apache 2.0 licensing — a notable choice that enables unrestricted commercial deployment. The model's 93.3% HumanEval score is exceptional for an open-weight model, and its 59.1% BFCL-v3 result demonstrates strong function-calling capability — important for tool-using agent deployments. At 81.1% MMLU-Pro, it matches Llama 4 Maverick on academic knowledge benchmarks. The 9.8% AetherCode score is lower than expected given its HumanEval performance, suggesting that Kimi K2 Instruct is strong at code completion and synthesis tasks but less effective at the end-to-end agentic software engineering measured by AetherCode. ## Specifications | Field | Value | |---|---| | Organization | Moonshot AI | | Parameters | Undisclosed | | License | Apache 2.0 | | HuggingFace | [Kimi/K2-Instruct](https://huggingface.co/Kimi/K2-Instruct) | | Release date | July 1, 2025 | | Knowledge cutoff | March 2025 | | Modality | Text only | ## Pricing Kimi K2 Instruct is available as open weights under Apache 2.0 — free to self-host. Available via Moonshot AI API and third-party providers. ## Public Benchmark Scores | Benchmark | Score | Source | Date | |---|---|---|---| | [HumanEval](/benchmarks/humaneval) | 93.3% | Benchgen evaluation | 2025-07 | | [MMLU-Pro](/benchmarks/mmlu-pro) | 81.1% | Benchgen evaluation | 2025-07 | | [BFCL v3](/benchmarks/bfcl-v3) | 59.1% | Benchgen evaluation | 2025-07 | | [AetherCode](/benchmarks/aethercode) | 9.8% | Benchgen evaluation | 2025-07 | ## Kimi K2 Instruct vs Alternatives | Model | HumanEval | MMLU-Pro | BFCL-v3 | License | |---|---|---|---|---| | **Kimi K2 Instruct** | 93.3% | 81.1% | 59.1% | Apache 2.0 | | [Llama 4 Maverick](/models/meta/llama-4-maverick) | — | 80.5% | — | Llama 4 | | [Phi-4](/models/microsoft/phi-4) | 82.6% | 70.4% | — | Apache 2.0 | | [Qwen3 32B](/models/qwen/qwen3-32b) | — | — | — | Apache 2.0 | Kimi K2's 93.3% HumanEval is the highest we track for any open-weight model, and its 59.1% BFCL-v3 indicates strong function-calling performance. For applications requiring agentic end-to-end coding, its 9.8% AetherCode is a limitation; Qwen3 32B (16.3%) performs better on that benchmark. ## Related Models & Benchmarks - Compare: [Llama 4 Maverick](/models/meta/llama-4-maverick) · [Phi-4](/models/microsoft/phi-4) · [Qwen3 32B](/models/qwen/qwen3-32b) - Benchmarks: [HumanEval](/benchmarks/humaneval) · [MMLU-Pro](/benchmarks/mmlu-pro) · [BFCL v3](/benchmarks/bfcl-v3) · [AetherCode](/benchmarks/aethercode) ## Frequently Asked Questions

What is Kimi K2 Instruct?

Kimi K2 Instruct is Moonshot AI's July 2025 Apache 2.0 open-weight model, scoring 93.3% HumanEval, 81.1% MMLU-Pro, and 59.1% BFCL-v3. Designed for strong code completion and function calling.

Is Kimi K2 Instruct open source?

Yes. Kimi K2 Instruct is released under Apache 2.0 — free for commercial use without restrictions.

What is Kimi K2 Instruct strong at?

HumanEval (93.3%), MMLU-Pro (81.1%), and BFCL-v3 function calling (59.1%). It is weaker at AetherCode (9.8%) — end-to-end agentic coding tasks.

--- *Specs from Moonshot AI's official Kimi K2 release (July 2025) and Benchgen evaluations. Last updated 2026-07-24.*

Kimi K2 Instruct — Training jobs

Training jobs