LLM Releases

Release history

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How to read model release timelines

Model releases are easier to understand when you separate labs, families, lifecycle events, and sources. This guide explains the structure behind the catalog.

Quick answer

To understand a model lineage, start with the lab page, narrow to the family page, then inspect individual model pages for source-backed details.

The changelog is the event stream; model pages are the fact sheets; lab and family pages are the timeline views.

Use three levels

Lab
Everything shipped by one company or research group, such as Moonshot AI, Z.ai, OpenAI, Meta, or Google DeepMind.
Family
One model lineage or naming series, such as Kimi K2, GLM-5, Qwen, Claude, Gemma, or Llama.
Model
One concrete release page with dates, access labels, model specs, benchmark claims, lifecycle events, and source links.

High-volume lab timelines

LabTracked modelsFirst trackedLatest tracked
DeepSeek18Nov 2, 2023Apr 24, 2026
Alibaba (Qwen)15Aug 3, 2023May 12, 2026
Moonshot AI15Oct 9, 2023Jun 18, 2026
Google DeepMind14Oct 11, 2018May 19, 2026
OpenAI14Nov 5, 2019Jun 9, 2026
Mistral AI14Sep 27, 2023Mar 18, 2026
Z.ai (Zhipu AI)13Mar 14, 2023Jun 17, 2026
Anthropic12Mar 14, 2023Jun 9, 2026

Model families worth tracing

FamilyTracked modelsFirst trackedLatest tracked
Kimi K26Jul 11, 2025Jun 18, 2026
Phi6Jun 21, 2023Apr 30, 2025
Grok5Nov 4, 2023Jul 9, 2025
Hunyuan4Sep 7, 2023Apr 22, 2026
Step4Mar 23, 2024Mar 14, 2026
GLM-44Jan 16, 2024Jan 8, 2026
Granite 34Oct 21, 2024Apr 30, 2025
ERNIE4Dec 8, 2021Mar 16, 2025

A practical workflow

  1. Open the lab page to see the full company history.
  2. Jump into a family page when names repeat across releases.
  3. Use the changelog to see whether an item was announced, released, updated, deprecated, retired, or withdrawn.
  4. Open the model page and check the primary sources before citing dates, licenses, benchmarks, or context-window claims.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a lab page and a family page?

A lab page shows everything one organization has shipped. A family page follows one lineage or naming series, even when there are multiple releases, variants, previews, or updates.

Why are announcements and releases separated?

A model can be announced before it is generally available, released as a preview, updated later, deprecated, retired, or withdrawn. Separating event types prevents timelines from overstating availability.

Which source should I trust first?

Prefer primary sources such as official posts, model cards, API docs, papers, and repository pages. Third-party reporting can add context, but the catalog tries to anchor release facts to primary sources when possible.

Where to go next

Start with the release calendar for monthly cadence, use the changelog for full event detail, or open any lab page from the catalog to trace a company history.