Moonshot AI in talks with Microsoft, Amazon, and Google over Kimi K3

Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI is in early-stage negotiations with Microsoft, Amazon, and Google regarding revenue-sharing agreements. The proposed deals would allow these U.S. cloud giants to host Moonshot’s Kimi K3 model on platforms such as Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud.

Moonshot is reportedly seeking up to 30% of the revenue generated from services related to the Kimi K3 model. If finalized, this would represent a significant first for a major revenue-sharing pact between a Chinese AI developer and leading U.S. cloud infrastructure providers. The Kimi K3 model, which features 2.8 trillion parameters, has shown performance comparable to top-tier models like OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 and Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.8 in independent evaluations.

Despite the potential for collaboration, several hurdles remain. Unresolved issues include data access, revenue split mechanisms, and the auditing of token usage. The negotiations occur amid heightened geopolitical tensions and scrutiny from U.S. officials regarding national security and the acquisition of AI hardware. Moonshot has previously denied allegations of model distillation or illegal chip acquisition.