Thinking Machines has entered the open-weights race with Inkling-Small, a release that stands out because it comes from a US-based lab and is being positioned alongside leading Chinese open-weight models. The company was founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, giving the launch added attention across the AI industry.
According to the report, Inkling-Small was released on July 15 and marks a notable moment in the current open-weights wave. The key significance is not just the model itself, but the fact that a US entrant is now being presented as a direct competitor in a space that has recently been defined by strong Chinese offerings.
That makes the release important for both the technical and strategic sides of the AI market. Open-weight models have become a closely watched segment because they can influence research, developer adoption and the broader balance of competition between labs in different regions.
For Thinking Machines, Inkling-Small appears to be an early statement of intent. With Mira Murati’s new lab now joining the frontier open-weights contest, the focus will likely shift to how the model is received and whether it can help establish a stronger US presence in this fast-moving part of the AI landscape.
