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| Quality | 0 | 0 |
| Ecosystem | 0 | 0 |
| Match Graph | 0 | 0 |
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starting Price | $3.00e-8 per prompt token | $6.00e-7 per prompt token |
| Capabilities | 10 decomposed | 11 decomposed |
| Times Matched | 0 | 0 |
Executes forward passes using a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture where only 3.6B of 21B parameters are active per token, routing each token to specialized expert sub-networks via learned gating functions. This sparse activation pattern reduces computational cost and memory bandwidth compared to dense models while maintaining parameter capacity for diverse reasoning tasks.
Unique: Uses a 21B parameter MoE architecture with only 3.6B active parameters per forward pass, achieving dense-model capability with sparse-model efficiency through learned expert routing — distinct from dense models like Llama 2 70B and from other MoE implementations like Mixtral that use different expert counts and gating strategies
vs alternatives: Offers better inference efficiency than dense 20B models (lower latency, memory) while maintaining OpenAI training quality, and provides open-weight licensing (Apache 2.0) unlike proprietary GPT-4 variants
Maintains coherent multi-turn dialogue by processing conversation history within a fixed context window, using attention mechanisms to weight recent and relevant prior messages while discarding or summarizing older context when token limits are approached. The model learns to extract key information from conversation history to maintain semantic continuity across turns.
Unique: Leverages MoE architecture to maintain coherent multi-turn reasoning with selective expert activation — experts specializing in dialogue coherence and context tracking are preferentially routed for conversation continuation, versus dense models that apply uniform attention across all parameters
vs alternatives: Maintains conversation quality comparable to larger dense models while using 3.6B active parameters, reducing inference cost per turn versus GPT-3.5 or Llama 2 70B for long-running conversations
Generates syntactically valid code across multiple programming languages by learning patterns from training data that includes code repositories, technical documentation, and problem-solution pairs. The model applies language-specific reasoning to produce working implementations, debug explanations, and architectural suggestions for technical problems.
Unique: MoE routing allows specialized experts to activate for different programming languages and problem types — language-specific experts handle syntax and idioms while reasoning experts handle algorithm design, versus dense models applying uniform computation across all code domains
vs alternatives: Provides code generation capability comparable to Copilot or Claude at lower inference cost due to sparse activation, with open-weight licensing enabling local fine-tuning for domain-specific code patterns
Answers factual and conceptual questions by retrieving and synthesizing relevant knowledge from training data, applying reasoning to connect concepts across domains. The model generates coherent explanations that cite reasoning steps and provide context-appropriate detail levels based on question complexity.
Unique: MoE architecture routes different question types to specialized experts — domain-specific experts (science, history, technology) activate selectively based on question content, allowing efficient knowledge synthesis without computing all parameters for every query
vs alternatives: Achieves knowledge synthesis quality comparable to larger models while using 3.6B active parameters, reducing latency and cost versus GPT-3.5 for knowledge-heavy applications
Interprets complex, multi-step instructions and decomposes them into executable sub-tasks, then generates outputs following specified constraints (format, length, tone, structure). The model learns to parse instruction syntax, identify priorities, and handle edge cases like conflicting constraints or ambiguous requirements.
Unique: MoE routing enables instruction-parsing experts to activate first, decomposing complex requirements before routing to task-specific experts for execution — versus dense models that process instructions and execution in a single forward pass
vs alternatives: Handles multi-step instruction following with comparable quality to GPT-4 while using sparse activation, reducing per-token cost for instruction-heavy workflows
Generates original creative content (stories, poetry, marketing copy, dialogue) by learning stylistic patterns, narrative structures, and genre conventions from training data. The model applies learned constraints (rhyme schemes, character consistency, tone) to produce coherent creative outputs that match specified requirements.
Unique: MoE architecture allows style-specific experts (poetry, narrative, dialogue, marketing) to activate based on content type, enabling more consistent stylistic adherence than dense models that apply uniform parameters across all creative domains
vs alternatives: Produces creative content quality comparable to larger models while using sparse activation, reducing inference cost for high-volume content generation workflows
Condenses long-form text into concise summaries by identifying key information, removing redundancy, and preserving essential meaning. The model learns to extract structured information (entities, relationships, facts) from unstructured text and present it in specified formats (bullet points, JSON, tables).
Unique: MoE routing activates summarization experts for compression and extraction experts for structured data generation, allowing efficient handling of different extraction tasks without computing all parameters
vs alternatives: Provides summarization and extraction quality comparable to larger models while using sparse activation, reducing latency and cost for high-volume document processing
Translates text between languages and generates content in non-English languages by learning multilingual patterns from training data. The model preserves meaning, tone, and context-appropriate phrasing across language pairs, and can switch between languages within a single response.
Unique: MoE architecture includes language-specific experts for major language pairs, allowing efficient routing to appropriate experts based on source and target languages rather than computing translation parameters for all language combinations
vs alternatives: Provides translation quality comparable to specialized translation models while maintaining general-purpose reasoning capability, with sparse activation reducing per-token cost versus dense multilingual models
+2 more capabilities
GLM-4.5 uses a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) architecture to dynamically route tokens through specialized expert networks based on input characteristics, enabling efficient processing of 128k-token contexts without proportional latency increases. The MoE design allows selective expert activation per token, reducing computational overhead while maintaining reasoning depth across extended conversations and multi-document analysis tasks typical of agent-based workflows.
Unique: Mixture-of-Experts routing specifically tuned for agent workloads rather than generic dense models; expert activation patterns are optimized for tool-use sequences and multi-step reasoning rather than general language tasks
vs alternatives: Outperforms dense models like GPT-4 Turbo on agent tasks within 128k context by routing computational budget to relevant experts, reducing latency and cost vs. models that process all tokens through identical layers
GLM-4.5 implements native function calling through a schema-based registry where tools are defined as JSON schemas with parameter constraints, type validation, and description metadata. The model learns to emit structured tool invocations that map directly to function signatures, enabling deterministic tool orchestration without post-processing or regex parsing. Integration with OpenRouter's API exposes this via standard function-calling parameters compatible with OpenAI's format.
Unique: Schema-based function calling is trained directly into the model weights rather than implemented as post-hoc decoding constraints, allowing the model to learn semantic relationships between tool purposes and input context during training
vs alternatives: More reliable than constraint-based function calling (e.g., Guidance, LMQL) because tool selection is learned rather than enforced, reducing parsing failures and enabling the model to reason about tool applicability
Z.ai: GLM 4.5 scores higher at 24/100 vs OpenAI: gpt-oss-20b at 23/100.
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GLM-4.5 can be used for batch inference through OpenRouter's API, enabling cost-optimized processing of large numbers of requests. Batch processing typically offers reduced pricing compared to real-time API calls and is suitable for non-urgent inference tasks. The model can process batches of prompts efficiently, with results returned after processing completes. This is valuable for agents running scheduled tasks or processing large datasets.
Unique: Batch processing is offered through OpenRouter's unified API rather than a separate batch service, enabling seamless switching between real-time and batch modes with the same client code
vs alternatives: More cost-effective than real-time API for high-volume inference; simpler than managing separate batch infrastructure because OpenRouter handles queuing and result delivery
GLM-4.5 maintains coherent conversation state across turns by encoding prior messages into a compressed representation that persists within the 128k context window. The model uses attention mechanisms to selectively retrieve relevant prior context, enabling agents to reference earlier decisions, tool results, and user preferences without explicit memory management. This is particularly effective for agent workflows where state accumulation (e.g., task progress, discovered facts) must inform subsequent actions.
Unique: Implicit memory management through attention-based context selection rather than explicit memory modules; the model learns which prior turns are relevant without separate retrieval or summarization steps
vs alternatives: More efficient than explicit memory systems (e.g., LangChain's ConversationBufferMemory) because attention is computed once during inference rather than requiring separate retrieval and summarization passes
GLM-4.5 generates code across 40+ programming languages by leveraging training data that includes diverse codebases and syntax patterns. The model understands language-specific idioms, library conventions, and structural patterns (e.g., async/await in JavaScript, type hints in Python, generics in Java) without explicit language-specific modules. Generation is context-aware, respecting indentation, existing code style, and project conventions when completing or extending code snippets.
Unique: Language-agnostic code generation trained on diverse codebases rather than language-specific fine-tuning; the model generalizes syntax patterns across languages, enabling reasonable code generation even for less common languages
vs alternatives: Broader language coverage than specialized models like Codex (which emphasizes Python/JavaScript) but lower quality on niche languages compared to language-specific models; better for polyglot teams than single-language specialists
GLM-4.5 is trained on extensive technical documentation, API references, and code examples, enabling it to understand and reason about complex technical concepts, library APIs, and system architectures. The model can parse API schemas (OpenAPI, GraphQL, Protocol Buffers), understand parameter constraints and type systems, and generate code that correctly uses APIs based on documentation. This is particularly valuable for agent workflows that must interact with external systems.
Unique: Semantic understanding of API schemas and documentation is learned from training data rather than implemented as a separate schema parser; the model reasons about API semantics holistically
vs alternatives: More flexible than code-generation-only models because it understands API semantics and can reason about correctness; better than generic LLMs for technical tasks because training includes extensive API documentation
GLM-4.5 can generate responses that explicitly show reasoning steps, enabling transparency into how conclusions were reached. When prompted with chain-of-thought patterns, the model generates intermediate reasoning steps before final answers, making it suitable for applications requiring explainability or verification. This is implemented through training on reasoning-annotated data and prompt patterns that encourage step-by-step decomposition.
Unique: Chain-of-thought reasoning is trained directly into the model rather than implemented as a decoding strategy; the model learns to generate reasoning steps as part of its core training objective
vs alternatives: More natural and coherent reasoning steps than prompt-injection approaches (e.g., appending 'think step by step') because reasoning is learned as a first-class capability
GLM-4.5 supports multiple languages (Chinese, English, and others) with training that enables cross-lingual reasoning — understanding concepts expressed in one language and reasoning about them in another. The model can translate, summarize, and reason across languages without language-specific degradation. This is particularly valuable for global applications and agents that must operate in multilingual environments.
Unique: Cross-lingual reasoning is learned from multilingual training data rather than implemented as separate language-specific models; the model develops a shared representation across languages
vs alternatives: More efficient than maintaining separate models per language because a single model handles all languages; better for cross-lingual reasoning than language-specific models because the shared representation enables concept transfer
+3 more capabilities