Qwen3 235B 2507 (Instruct)

Alibaba's High-Intelligence, High-Context Powerhouse

Qwen3 235B 2507 (Instruct)

Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct delivers exceptional intelligence and a vast context window, positioning it as a top-tier model for complex tasks, albeit with a premium price and moderate average speed.

AlibabaOpen License256k ContextInstruct ModelText-to-TextHigh Intelligence235 Billion Parameters

The Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct model, developed by Alibaba, stands out as a formidable contender in the large language model landscape. With a staggering 235 billion parameters and an impressive 256k token context window, it is engineered for handling highly complex and extensive tasks. Its performance on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, where it scores 45, places it firmly among the leading models, demonstrating its superior reasoning capabilities and ability to process intricate instructions effectively.

While its intelligence is a clear highlight, the model's operational characteristics present a nuanced picture. Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct exhibits a notable degree of verbosity, generating 24 million tokens during intelligence evaluations compared to an average of 11 million. This verbosity, coupled with its higher-than-average pricing for both input ($0.70 per 1M tokens) and output ($2.80 per 1M tokens), means that total operational costs can accumulate quickly, especially for applications requiring extensive outputs.

Speed is another area where Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct shows variability. Its average output speed of 41.7 tokens per second is slightly below the general average. However, the benchmarking reveals a significant disparity across API providers. Providers like Cerebras achieve an astounding 1274 tokens per second, and Together.ai (FP8) reaches 255 tokens per second, dramatically outperforming the average and demonstrating the model's potential when deployed on optimized infrastructure. Similarly, latency can be exceptionally low with top providers, making it suitable for real-time applications despite its general speed profile.

The model's open license and the backing of Alibaba make it an attractive option for developers seeking a powerful, flexible, and highly intelligent foundation model. Its ability to process vast amounts of information within its 256k context window opens up possibilities for advanced applications in research, detailed content generation, and complex analytical tasks. However, careful consideration of provider choice and cost management strategies will be crucial to harness its full potential efficiently.

Scoreboard

Intelligence

45 (#6 / 30 / 235B)

A leading performer in intelligence benchmarks, scoring 4 out of 4 units and well above average.
Output speed

41.7 tokens/s (avg)

Slower than average, but top providers like Cerebras achieve over 1200 t/s.
Input price

$0.70 per 1M tokens

Somewhat expensive, exceeding the average of $0.56.
Output price

$2.80 per 1M tokens

Significantly more expensive than the average of $1.67.
Verbosity signal

24M tokens

Very verbose, generating more than double the average tokens during evaluation.
Provider latency

0.34 seconds (TTFT)

Achieves excellent time-to-first-token with top providers like Cerebras and Google Vertex.

Technical specifications

Spec Details
Model Name Qwen3 235B A22B 2507 Instruct
Owner Alibaba
License Open
Context Window 256,000 tokens
Model Type Instruct (Text-to-Text)
Intelligence Index Score 45 (Rank #6 / 30)
Average Output Speed 41.7 tokens/s
Average Input Price $0.70 / 1M tokens
Average Output Price $2.80 / 1M tokens
Evaluation Verbosity 24M tokens (vs. 11M avg)
Best Latency (TTFT) 0.34s (Cerebras)
Best Output Speed 1274 tokens/s (Cerebras)
Supported Modalities Text Input, Text Output

What stands out beyond the scoreboard

Where this model wins
  • Exceptional Intelligence: Ranks among the top models for reasoning and instruction following, scoring 45 on the Intelligence Index.
  • Massive Context Window: A 256k token context window enables processing and generating extremely long and complex documents or conversations.
  • Provider-Optimized Performance: Achieves industry-leading speeds (1274 t/s) and low latency (0.34s) with specialized providers like Cerebras.
  • Open License Flexibility: Its open license offers greater freedom for deployment and integration into diverse applications.
  • Robust for Complex Tasks: Ideal for applications requiring deep understanding, detailed analysis, and extensive content generation.
Where costs sneak up
  • Higher Base Pricing: Both input ($0.70/M) and output ($2.80/M) token prices are significantly above average, leading to higher baseline costs.
  • High Verbosity Impact: The model's tendency for verbose outputs (24M tokens in evaluation) can substantially increase total output token consumption and cost.
  • Variable Provider Costs: While some providers offer competitive blended rates, others can be considerably more expensive, requiring careful selection.
  • Speed vs. Cost Trade-offs: Achieving top speeds often comes with a higher price tag, meaning cost-effective solutions might be slower.
  • Long Context Window Utilization: While powerful, fully utilizing the 256k context window will incur substantial input token costs.

Provider pick

Selecting the right API provider for Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct is critical, as performance and pricing vary dramatically. Your choice should align with your primary application priorities, whether that's raw speed, minimal latency, or the lowest possible cost.

The benchmarks reveal a diverse landscape, with some providers excelling in specific metrics while others offer a more balanced profile. Consider the trade-offs carefully to optimize for your specific use case.

Priority Pick Why Tradeoff to accept
Priority Pick Why Tradeoff
Maximum Output Speed Cerebras Unmatched throughput at 1274 tokens/s, ideal for high-volume, time-sensitive generation. Highest blended price among top performers.
Lowest Latency (TTFT) Cerebras / Google Vertex Cerebras (0.34s) and Google Vertex (0.36s) offer near real-time responsiveness for interactive applications. Cerebras is expensive; Google Vertex's output speed is moderate.
Most Cost-Effective (Blended) Deepinfra At $0.21/M tokens, it's the most economical choice for overall usage. Lower output speed (around 40 t/s) and higher latency compared to premium providers.
Best Input Price Deepinfra Lowest input token price at $0.09/M, excellent for long prompts with moderate output. Output price is still a factor, and speed is not its strong suit.
Balanced Performance & Cost Together.ai (FP8) Good blend of speed (255 t/s), low latency (0.38s), and competitive blended price ($0.30/M). Not the absolute best in any single metric, but a strong all-rounder.
Enterprise-Grade Stability Google Vertex / Alibaba Cloud Offers robust infrastructure and support, suitable for critical enterprise deployments. Higher pricing and moderate performance compared to specialized AI providers.

Note: Performance and pricing data are based on specific benchmark conditions and may vary with different workloads, prompt lengths, and API versions. FP8 indicates providers utilizing 8-bit floating-point precision, which can offer speed and cost benefits.

Real workloads cost table

Understanding the real-world cost of Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct requires translating its pricing and verbosity into practical scenarios. Given its high intelligence and context window, it's often deployed for tasks involving substantial input and output.

Below are estimated costs for common use cases, calculated using the model's average input price of $0.70/M tokens and output price of $2.80/M tokens.

Scenario Input Output What it represents Estimated cost
Scenario Input (tokens) Output (tokens) What it represents Estimated Cost
Detailed Research Summary 100,000 10,000 Summarizing a long academic paper or legal document into a comprehensive report. $0.70 (Input) + $0.028 (Output) = $0.73
Complex Code Generation 50,000 15,000 Generating a significant block of code or debugging a large codebase with detailed explanations. $0.35 (Input) + $0.042 (Output) = $0.39
Long-Form Content Creation 20,000 25,000 Drafting a marketing article, blog post, or creative story based on a detailed brief. $0.14 (Input) + $0.07 (Output) = $0.21
Multi-Turn Customer Support 5,000 (x10 turns) 1,000 (x10 turns) Simulating a 10-turn conversation with a customer, each turn involving a new prompt and response. $0.35 (Input) + $0.028 (Output) = $0.38
Data Analysis & Interpretation 75,000 8,000 Analyzing a dataset description and generating insights or a narrative interpretation. $0.53 (Input) + $0.022 (Output) = $0.55

These scenarios highlight that while input costs can be managed, the model's higher output token price and verbosity mean that applications requiring substantial generated text will incur significant costs. Optimizing output length is paramount for cost efficiency.

How to control cost (a practical playbook)

Leveraging Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct's power efficiently requires a strategic approach to cost management. Its high intelligence and context window are valuable, but its pricing and verbosity demand careful optimization.

Here are key strategies to keep your operational costs in check without sacrificing performance:

Optimize Output Verbosity

Given the model's tendency for verbose outputs and the high output token price, controlling the length of generated responses is the most impactful cost-saving measure.

  • Explicitly Instruct Output Length: Use prompt engineering to specify desired output length (e.g., "Summarize in 3 sentences," "Provide a concise answer," "Limit response to 200 words").
  • Iterative Refinement: For complex tasks, consider generating a draft and then using a smaller, cheaper model or a subsequent prompt to condense or refine the output.
  • Structured Outputs: Request JSON or other structured formats to reduce conversational filler and ensure only necessary information is returned.
Strategic Provider Selection

The wide variance in provider pricing and performance means your choice of API provider directly impacts your bottom line and user experience.

  • Prioritize by Use Case: For cost-sensitive batch processing, choose providers like Deepinfra. For real-time, high-performance applications, invest in Cerebras or Together.ai.
  • Leverage FP8 Options: Providers offering FP8 (8-bit floating-point) inference, such as Together.ai and Baseten, can significantly reduce costs and increase speed due to lower computational requirements.
  • Monitor Provider Benchmarks: Regularly review updated benchmarks for Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct to ensure you are using the most cost-effective and performant provider for your current needs.
Prompt Engineering for Efficiency

Beyond controlling output, optimizing your input prompts can reduce token usage and improve the model's efficiency, leading to better results at a lower cost.

  • Concise Inputs: While the context window is large, avoid unnecessary preamble or redundant information in your prompts. Get straight to the point.
  • Few-Shot Learning: Provide clear, concise examples within your prompt to guide the model, often reducing the need for lengthy instructions or multiple turns.
  • Batch Processing: Where possible, combine multiple independent requests into a single API call to reduce overhead and potentially benefit from provider-specific optimizations.
Context Window Management

The 256k context window is a powerful feature, but utilizing it fully comes with a cost. Manage context intelligently to avoid unnecessary expenses.

  • Summarization & Compression: Before feeding extremely long documents, consider using a smaller, cheaper model to summarize or extract key information, reducing the input token count for Qwen3.
  • Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG): Instead of putting entire knowledge bases into the context, use RAG to retrieve only the most relevant snippets for the model, significantly cutting input costs.
  • Dynamic Context: Implement logic to dynamically adjust the context window based on the complexity of the query, only expanding it when truly necessary.

FAQ

What is Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct?

Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct is a large language model developed by Alibaba, featuring 235 billion parameters. It is an 'Instruct' model, meaning it's fine-tuned to follow instructions effectively, making it suitable for a wide range of text-based tasks from content generation to complex analysis. It boasts a massive 256k token context window.

How intelligent is Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct?

The model is highly intelligent, scoring 45 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, which places it among the top 6 out of 30 models benchmarked. This indicates strong reasoning capabilities and proficiency in understanding and executing complex instructions, earning it 4 out of 4 units for intelligence.

What are the typical costs associated with using this model?

Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct is considered somewhat expensive. On average, input tokens cost $0.70 per 1 million, and output tokens cost $2.80 per 1 million. These prices are higher than the average for comparable models, making cost optimization strategies crucial, especially for applications with high output volume.

How fast is Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct?

The average output speed is 41.7 tokens per second, which is slower than the overall average. However, performance varies significantly by provider. Optimized providers like Cerebras can achieve speeds up to 1274 tokens per second, and Together.ai (FP8) reaches 255 tokens per second, demonstrating its potential for high-speed applications with the right infrastructure.

What is its context window size?

Qwen3 235B 2507 Instruct features an exceptionally large context window of 256,000 tokens. This allows the model to process and generate very long documents, maintain extensive conversation histories, and handle complex tasks requiring a broad understanding of context.

Which providers offer the best performance for this model?

For raw speed and lowest latency, Cerebras is a top performer. For a good balance of cost, speed, and latency, Together.ai (FP8) is a strong choice. If cost-effectiveness is the primary concern, Deepinfra offers the lowest blended and input token prices, though at a slower speed.

What does 'FP8' mean in the context of providers?

FP8 refers to 8-bit floating-point precision. Some API providers, like Together.ai and Baseten, offer inference using FP8. This lower precision can lead to significant improvements in inference speed and reduced memory usage, often resulting in lower costs, with minimal impact on model quality for many applications.


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