China's tech and e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is set to release Qwen 3, an upgraded version of its flagship AI model, as soon as this month. The launch may occur later in April, although the exact timing is subject to change. 

AI companies have been introducing new products at an increasing pace in recent months, driven by intense competition following the success of DeepSeek, which made significant waves in the global AI industry with its cost-effective model earlier this year.

Alibaba was swift to react to DeepSeek's global achievements, unveiling Qwen 2.5-Max shortly after in late January, claiming it surpassed the highly acclaimed DeepSeek-V3. The decision to release Qwen 2.5-Max on the first day of the Lunar New Year, a time when many Chinese are typically absent from work to spend time with family, underscored the pressure DeepSeek has exerted on its competitors.

In February, reports indicated that DeepSeek's new model, a successor to the R1, had garnered considerable acclaim in Silicon Valley. The company is also expected to introduce its next-generation model by May.