5Interconnects (Nathan Lambert)·
Interconnects #22: Zyphra, Cohere, and Poolside expand open model ecosystem
Interconnects newsletter issue #22 surveys recent open model releases and ecosystem moves from Zyphra, Cohere, and Poolside, assessing the motivations behind each company's decision to release models openly. The piece frames these releases as broadening the breadth of the open-weights ecosystem beyond the dominant players. As a tier-2 commentary piece, it provides useful practitioner-level signal on which second-tier labs are investing in open releases and why.
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Related events (8)
Latest open artifacts (#20): New orgs! New types of models! With Nemotron Super, Sarvam, Cohere Transcribe, & others
Interconnects' recurring open-weights roundup covers several new model releases and organizations entering the open-artifact space. Highlighted items include Nvidia's Nemotron Super, Indian AI lab Sarvam, and Cohere's Transcribe product. The piece tracks the expanding diversity of organizations and model types contributing to the open-weights ecosystem.
Latest open artifacts (#21): Open model bonanza — Gemma 4, DeepSeek V4, Kimi K2.6, MiMo 2.5, GLM-5.1 & others
Interconnects' recurring open-weights roundup covers a dense cluster of recent releases including Gemma 4, DeepSeek V4, Kimi K2.6, MiMo 2.5, and GLM-5.1, characterizing the period as a flagship-after-flagship cadence. The piece also includes commentary on CAISI's assessment of DeepSeek V4. As a tier-2 commentary source, this is a synthesis and analysis layer rather than primary announcements.
What comes next with open models
A Interconnects commentary piece examining the next phase of open model development, covering market dynamics, capability trajectories, and the broader industrialization of language models. The piece appears to survey the competitive and technical landscape for open-weight models as they mature. Published in March 2026, it reflects on the state of the open-model ecosystem amid rapid frontier progress.
Open Models in Perpetual Catch-Up
A commentary piece from Interconnects examining the structural dynamics between open-weight and closed frontier models, covering topics including the open-closed capability gap, distillation as a catch-up mechanism, innovation timescales, and conditions under which open models can win. The piece also addresses specialized models and gaps in the current open ecosystem. This is a high-level analytical framing of a persistent tension in the AI landscape rather than a report on a specific release or event.
How Open Model Ecosystems Compound
This Interconnects commentary examines how China's open-first, high-participation AI ecosystem creates compounding advantages over time. The piece reflects on the structural dynamics of open model ecosystems and their strategic implications. It appears to analyze how broad community participation in open-weight model development accelerates capability progress.
Interconnects argues open-source AI faces its most serious viability test yet
Nathan Lambert's Interconnects newsletter argues that open-source AI models are currently facing their most serious viability test, framing the next six months as potentially decisive for the open-weights ecosystem. The piece appears to contend that frontier closed models are pulling ahead in ways that may be difficult for open-weights efforts to match. This is a strategic commentary piece from a respected ML researcher and commentator on the open vs. closed model dynamic.
My bets on open models, mid-2026
A Interconnects commentary piece forecasting the trajectory of open-weight models through mid-2026, with a focus on the gap between open and closed frontier models. The author offers predictions about which open-weight developments are most likely to close the capability gap with proprietary systems. As a tier-2 source, this represents informed industry analysis rather than primary reporting.
Latest open artifacts (#19): Qwen 3.5, GLM 5, MiniMax 2.5 — Chinese labs' latest push of the frontier
A Interconnects newsletter roundup covering recent open-weight model releases from Chinese AI labs, specifically Qwen 3.5, GLM 5, and MiniMax 2.5. The piece frames these as a continued frontier push from Chinese research organizations. The body content is minimal beyond the title and greeting, suggesting this is either a stub or the full content was not captured.