Exploring GLM-4.5: A Leap Forward in Open-Source Language Models
- GLM-4.5 Overview: Released by Z.ai (formerly Zhipu) on July 28, 2025, GLM-4.5 is an open-source language model available in two variants: the flagship (355 billion parameters) and GLM-4.5-Air (106 billion parameters).
- Architecture: Likely utilizes a Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture, activating 32 billion (flagship) or 12 billion (Air) parameters per input for efficiency.
- Performance: Ranks 3rd overall in 12 benchmarks, scoring 84.6 on MMLU Pro, 64.2 on SWE-bench Verified, excelling in reasoning, coding, and agentic tasks.
- Applications: Suited for text generation, coding, and intelligent agents, available under the MIT license for commercial use.
Introduction to GLM-4.5
On July 28, 2025, Z.ai, formerly known as Zhipu, unveiled GLM-4.5, a significant milestone in open-source large language models (LLMs). Backed by tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent, Z.ai has positioned GLM-4.5 as a competitive alternative to models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and others. Available in two variants—the flagship GLM-4.5 (355 billion parameters) and the lighter GLM-4.5-Air (106 billion parameters)—this model aims to deliver high performance and accessibility for researchers and developers worldwide.
Model Architecture and Features
GLM-4.5 likely employs a Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture, where a subset of parameters ("experts") is activated for each input via a gating mechanism, enhancing computational efficiency. The flagship model activates 32 billion parameters, while GLM-4.5-Air uses 12 billion, making it suitable for less resource-intensive environments. The model supports hybrid reasoning modes: a thinking mode for complex tasks and a non-thinking mode for rapid responses, increasing its versatility for diverse applications.
Performance and Benchmarks
GLM-4.5 was evaluated across 12 benchmarks, covering agentic tasks, reasoning, and coding, ranking 3rd overall among leading models. Below is a performance snapshot compared to competitors:
| Category | Benchmark | GLM-4.5 | GLM-4.5-Air | Other Models (Selected) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agentic Tasks | 𝜏-bench | 70.1 | 69.4 | o3: 61.2, Claude 4 Sonnet: 70.3, Qwen3 235B Thinking 2507: 73.2 |
| BFCL v3 (Full) | 77.8 | 76.4 | o3: 72.4, Claude 4 Sonnet: 75.2, Qwen3 235B Thinking 2507: 72.4 | |
| BrowseComp | 26.4 | 21.3 | o3: 49.7, Claude 4 Opus: 18.8, Grok 4: 32.6 | |
| Reasoning | MMLU Pro | 84.6 | 81.4 | o3: 85.3, Claude 4 Opus: 87.3, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 86.2, Grok 4: 86.6 |
| AIME24 | 91.0 | 89.4 | o3: 90.3, Claude 4 Opus: 75.7, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 88.7, Grok 4: 94.3 | |
| MATH 500 | 98.2 | 98.1 | o3: 99.2, Claude 4 Opus: 98.2, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 96.7, Grok 4: 99.0 | |
| SciCode | 41.7 | 37.3 | o3: 41.0, Claude 4 Opus: 39.8, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 42.8, Grok 4: 45.7 | |
| GPQA | 79.1 | 75.0 | o3: 82.7, Claude 4 Opus: 79.6, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 84.4, Grok 4: 87.7 | |
| HLE | 14.4 | 10.6 | o3: 20.0, Claude 4 Opus: 11.7, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 21.1, Grok 4: 23.9 | |
| LiveCodeBench (2407-2501) | 72.9 | 70.7 | o3: 78.4, Claude 4 Opus: 63.6, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 80.1, Grok 4: 81.9 | |
| AA-Index (Estimated) | 67.7 | 64.8 | o3: 70.0, Claude 4 Opus: 64.4, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 70.5, Grok 4: 73.2 | |
| Coding | SWE-bench Verified | 64.2 | 57.6 | o3: 69.1, Claude 4 Opus: 67.8, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 49.0, Kimi K2: 65.4 |
| Terminal-Bench | 37.5 | 30.0 | o3: 30.2, Claude 4 Opus: 43.2, Gemini 2.5 Pro: 25.3, Kimi K2: 25.0 |
GLM-4.5 excels in reasoning (e.g., 98.2 on MATH 500) and coding (e.g., 64.2 on SWE-bench Verified), making it a strong contender for both research and practical applications.
Applications and Accessibility
GLM-4.5 is versatile, supporting natural language processing (e.g., text generation, translation), coding (e.g., code completion, repair), and agentic tasks (e.g., web navigation, data retrieval). Released under the MIT license, it allows commercial use and secondary development, fostering innovation. The model is accessible via:
- Hugging Face: GLM-4.5 Collection
- GitHub: GLM-4.5 Repository
- API Services: Global, Mainland China
Accessibility and Usage
While the flagship model requires significant computational resources (e.g., multiple GPUs), GLM-4.5-Air is more accessible, running on systems with 64GB at Q4 quantization. API services and open-source repositories ensure global availability.
Conclusion and Future Implications
GLM-4.5 is a game-changer in open-source AI, combining high performance with accessibility. Its release reflects China's push for AI leadership and fosters global collaboration through open-source licensing. As developers explore its potential, GLM-4.5 is poised to drive innovation across industries.
References
- Z.ai Official Blog: GLM-4.5 Announcement
- Hugging Face: GLM-4.5 Collection
- GitHub: GLM-4.5 Repository
- Z.ai API Documentation: Global, Mainland China