China's MiniMax releases H3 video model

• H3 generates 2K video at less than one-third the cost of mainstream rivals and is designed to work with Chinese-made chips, supporting China's push to reduce semiconductor dependence on the U.S.
• MiniMax became the second of China's 'AI tigers' startup group to go public when it listed in January 2026, competing with domestic tech giants and U.S. leaders in foundation models
• The release follows ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 and Kuaishou's Kling 3.0, with H3 targeting commercial applications in advertising, e-commerce, product design, and gaming

Summary:

Chinese AI startup MiniMax released its H3 video-generation model on Friday, July 31, intensifying competition in China's rapidly expanding AI video market dominated by ByteDance and Kuaishou.

Key Features:

The Shanghai-based company's H3 model can process multiple input formats (text, images, video, and audio) to generate videos up to 15 seconds long in 2K resolution with native stereo sound. The model also supports content editing and motion transfer between videos using multi-format instructions.

Market Strategy:

MiniMax plans to release H3's model weights within days, enabling users to download and customize the system. This open-weight approach extends a trend among Chinese AI developers into video generation, contrasting with proprietary models from competitors. The company claims 2K video generation costs less than one-third of mainstream rivals, targeting commercial applications in advertising, e-commerce, product design, and gaming.

Company Background:

Founded in 2022, MiniMax is among China's well-funded "AI tigers" competing with domestic tech giants and U.S. leaders. The company became the second in this group to go public when it listed in January. Reuters previously reported MiniMax is developing a 2.7-trillion-parameter language model.

Competitive Landscape:

Competition has intensified following ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 and Kuaishou's Kling 3.0 releases earlier this year. Amid China's push for semiconductor independence from the U.S., MiniMax designed H3 to work with several Chinese-made chips, addressing supply chain concerns in the domestic AI sector.