Journalism begins where hype ends

,,

I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them."

—Isaac Asimov

K2 Horizon: Institute of Foundation Models Launches 6 Fully Open AI Models

IFM said the K2 Horizon models target reasoning, mathematics, coding and agentic tasks, with the 0.9B, 3.7B and 7B models achieving state-of-the-art results in their respective size classes.
K2 Horizon AI model family launched by the Institute of Foundation Models, spanning 0.9B to 375B parameters
September 7, 2026 03:55 PM IST | Written by Supriya Singh | Edited by Vaibhav Jha

Abu Dhabi based the Institute of Foundation Models (IFM) has launched K2 Horizon, a new family of six AI foundation models ranging from 0.9 billion to 375 billion parameters, with the organization making the models’ weights , code, training data and technologies openly available.

“The new models are fully open—including model weights, code, training data and methodologies—allowing researchers and developers to inspect, reproduce and adapt the models for their own work,” IFM mentioned in a release.

The institute said the K2 Horizon models are designed for reasoning, mathematics, coding and agentic tasks, with 0.9 billion, 3.7 billion and 7 billion-parameter models setting new state-of-the-art performance at their respective scales.

The smallest 0.9b model is designed for highly constrained devices such as smartwatches and smart glasses, while the 3.7B and 7B models are aimed at smartphones and other on-device applications.

The fleet also includes a dense 32B model and a sparse 36B-A4B model for local hosting and on-premise servers. The flagship 375B-A23B model is targeted at demanding enterprise AI and reasoning workloads.

According to IFM, K2 Horizon is the largest fully open-source model launch in AI history. The institute further highlighted that the models share a common architecture, vocabulary, training methodology, interfaces and deployment tools, with a smaller vocabulary used for the 0.9b model.

“Open source is much more than open weights. Science works when others can see the data, follow the method, reproduce the result, and improve on it,” said Eric Xing, founder of IFM, and president and professor of MBZUAI.

“K2 Horizon delivers on that need. Every model in the fleet ships with its training data, recipe and evaluations. This is open science, and we believe it’s the best path forward for AI,” he added.

IFM is a global AI research lab dedicated to open and independent development of frontier-class foundation models. Launched in May 2025 by MBZUAI, the institute operates from advanced lab facilities in Abu Dhabi, Silicon Valley and Paris.

Also Read: AI Chipmaker Cerebras Files for IPO Again: 86% Revenue From Abu Dhabi Customers

Authors

  • AI FrontPage Reporter Supriya Singh

    Supriya Singh is a Reporter at AI FrontPage covering the AI & Education and AI & Jobs beats. She brings six years of print and digital experience, including three years at The Asian Age, where she reported on higher education, Delhi government, and crime. She is based in Delhi-NCR.

    LinkedIn
  • Vaibhav Jha, editor and co-founder at AI FrontPage

    Vaibhav Jha is an Editor and Co-founder of AI FrontPage. In his decade long career in journalism, Vaibhav has reported for publications including The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and The New York Times, covering the intersection of technology, policy, and society. Outside work, he’s usually trying to persuade people to watch Anurag Kashyap films.

    LinkedIn

Related Posts

LATEST NEWS