MiniMax Releases M2 Preview Model, Takes on Claude and Focuses on Programming and Agent Applications

MiniMax, a domestic artificial intelligence company, recently announced the official launch of its latest MiniMax M2 Big Language Model and has opened the developer preview experience. According to a statement from its head of R&D, the model has made significant breakthroughs in performance, and its goal is to enter the ranks of the world's top models.

Performance Positioning: Beyond Claude 4 Opus

According to the official releaseMiniMax M2 excelled in internal assessments. The team claimed that its overall competence exceeded Anthropic corporate Claude 3 Opussecond only to Claude 3 Sonnet. Also, the model is considered to be at the top of the current open source model in terms of performance (SOTA), although the MiniMax M2 The model itself is a closed-source model served through an API. This series of statements shows MiniMax's determination to directly match the performance of international first-tier products in the fierce competition of large models.

Core design: optimized for code and agents

Unlike the generic model, theMiniMax M2 From the beginning of its design, its core application areas were clearly defined: code generation (Coding) and intelligences (Agentic). Officials emphasize that the model is deeply optimized for code understanding, generation, debugging, and following complex instructions for multi-step tasks.

MiniMax has positioned itself as one of the ideal choices for building Agent products, which often means that the model has advantages in terms of low latency, cost control, and stable Function Calling capabilities. In the official documentation, the MiniMax platform provides Claude Code The tool is intended to be a cost-effective alternative to Anthropic Claude in code application scenarios, and the MiniMax M2 It is the core engine that drives that capability.

How to experience

Currently.MiniMax M2 The model is now live on the MiniMax open platform for developers to test.

• Model name: MiniMax-M2-Preview

Developers can qualify for the experience in the following ways:

1. Get API Key: Visit the MiniMax Open Platform and register to log in.
   • https://platform.minimaxi.com/login
2. Apply for a sneak preview: Fill in the questionnaire provided by the official to have a chance to get the priority experience qualification.
   • https://vrfi1sk8a0.feishu.cn/share/base/form/shrcnGDzwrAbr18zGwh6YA5oI9b

The technical documentation has also been updated, and developers have access to guides for API call methods and code tools.

• API Documentation: https://platform.minimaxi.com/docs/api-reference/text-anthropic-api
• Code Tools Guide: https://platform.minimaxi.com/docs/guides/text-ai-coding-tools

The launch coincides with October 24th, which is considered "Programmer's Day" by many in China's tech community, according to MiniMax.MiniMax M2 It's a gift from the team to all developers, and it also teases that its self-developed MiniMax Agent product will soon be available in China.