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World › AI › Open Source AI

Thinking Machines' Inkling 2 Small Leads Western Open-Weight AI Models

The new AI model, with 594 billion parameters, has taken the top spot in the west, showing particular prowess in agentic tasks.

AI IMAGEAI-generated illustration by Studio z-image. Not a photograph of the event.

Thinking Machines has unveiled a new AI model named Inkling 2 Small, which has quickly risen to prominence in the western open-weight AI landscape. This model boasts an impressive 594 billion parameters, marking a significant leap from its predecessor 123. According to reports, Inkling 2 Small has also achieved a notable score of 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, solidifying its position as a leader in the field 123.

Inkling 2 Small reportedly excels especially in agentic tasks, showcasing advanced capabilities in decision-making and problem-solving 1. Additionally, the model has demonstrated a 41% improvement in automation capabilities and a 20% boost in coding abilities compared to its previous version 2. These enhancements have made Inkling 2 Small a standout choice for developers and researchers seeking powerful AI solutions.

One of the key features of Inkling 2 Small is its availability for fine-tuning and inference on the Tinker API, allowing users to customize and optimize the model for specific applications 13. Furthermore, the model's pricing structure is designed to be accessible, with costs set at $0.30 per 1 million input tokens and $1.00 per 1 million output tokens 3. This makes it a viable option for both individual users and large-scale enterprises.

However, Inkling 2 Small's performance is not without its challenges. While it excelled in certain areas, such as achieving 86.3% accuracy on SWE-Bench Pro v2 (Hard), it faced some difficulties in others. Specifically, the model performed poorly on Terminal-Bench 4.0, with an accuracy rate of just 13.1% 3. Despite this, the internal misbehavior score of Inkling 2 Small has significantly decreased from 66.8 to 14.9, indicating a more stable and reliable operation 3.

What We Know

  • - Thinking Machines released Inkling 2 Small, a new AI model with 594 billion parameters 123
  • - Inkling 2 Small scored 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index 123
  • - It excels particularly in agentic tasks 1
  • - The model improved by 41% in automation capabilities and 20% in coding abilities compared to its predecessor 2
  • - Inkling 2 Small is available for fine-tuning and inference on Tinker API 13
  • - Pricing is set at $0.30 per 1 million input tokens and $1.00 per 1 million output tokens 3
  • - Internal misbehavior score decreased from 66.8 to 14.9 3

What Remains Unclear

  • - The exact number of active parameters in Inkling 2 Small 13
  • - Whether Inkling 2 Small will continue to improve its performance in all benchmarks over time 3

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Trust Score report

76%
Likely accurate
Probability of truth, weighted across 12 claims from 3 outlets. Each claim is scored by how many independent, reliable newsrooms support or contradict it. Method
  • confirmed
    Thinking Machines released a new AI model called Inkling 2 Small.
    90% · supported by 3
  • confirmed
    Inkling 2 Small has 594 billion parameters.
    90% · supported by 3
  • confirmed
    Inkling 2 Small scored 31 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index.
    90% · supported by 3
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small has 17 billion active parameters.
    82% · supported by 2
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small is available for fine-tuning and inference on Tinker API.
    82% · supported by 2
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small excels particularly in agentic tasks.
    70% · supported by 1
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small improved by 41% in automation capabilities and 20% in coding abilities compared to its predecessor.
    68% · supported by 1
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small's predecessor scored 13 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index.
    66% · supported by 1
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small achieved 86.3% accuracy on SWE-Bench Pro v2 (Hard).
    66% · supported by 1
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small performed poorly on Terminal-Bench 4.0 with 13.1% accuracy.
    66% · supported by 1
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small's internal misbehavior score decreased from 66.8 to 14.9.
    66% · supported by 1
  • likely
    Inkling 2 Small is priced at $0.30 per 1 million input tokens and $1.00 per 1 million output tokens.
    66% · supported by 1

Sources & references

  1. The Decoder — Thinking Machines' Inkling 2 Small claims top spot among western open-weight models · 2026-11-06
  2. ZDNet AI — Thinking Machines’ new model takes the lead in western open-weight AI · 2026-11-06
  3. MarkTechPost — Thinking Machines Releases Inkling 2 Small, a 594B MoE With 17B Active · 2026-11-06

This article is an original synthesis written by Jessi. It does not reproduce the text of the outlets above; it cross-references their reporting and links to them so you can read the originals.

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