Key facts
- Chinese AI firm MiniMax has launched its H3 video-generation model.
- The H3 model can generate videos up to 15 seconds long in 2K resolution with native stereo sound.
- It can process text, images, video, and audio inputs, and edit existing content.
- MiniMax plans to release the model's weights for users to download and customize.
- The model is designed for commercial applications such as advertising, e-commerce, product design, and games.
- H3 is engineered to operate with Chinese-made semiconductors.
Chinese AI firm MiniMax has launched its new H3 video-generation model, intensifying competition in the rapidly expanding market. The model, capable of producing up to 15-second videos in 2K resolution with stereo sound, can process and edit content using text, image, video, and audio inputs. MiniMax intends to release the model's weights, allowing users to download and customize the system, a move that extends the open-weight approach to video generation.
Founded in 2022, MiniMax is a well-funded startup competing with domestic tech giants and global leaders in the AI foundation model space. The company, which went public in Hong Kong in January, aims to target commercial applications such as advertising, e-commerce, product design, and gaming with its H3 model, claiming it will cost less than a third of comparable rival products. The development comes amid a broader push in China's AI sector to reduce reliance on U.S. semiconductors, with H3 designed to function with Chinese-made chips.