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AI labs are shipping new models nonstop. Besides being better and faster than their predecessors, not every new model is guaranteed to be a major step change, despite how the company's PR may wax poetic about them. Model strengths really emerge in context: Where are competitor models lacking or excelling? Which models have outstanding specialties, and which are just catching up to industry standards?
Also: How we test AI at ZDNET
Our Model Release Tracker helps you make sense of where models stand relative to each other and whether they're worth a deeper look. While we don't test every model or model update on this list, we'll always include the key elements you need to know, along with our hands-on expert test, where applicable. We also include an Expert Score for certain models. Curious about how we test AI? Check out this breakdown of our process.
Here are the biggest model releases of 2026 so far and what to know about them. We'll update this list whenever a notable new model arrives.
Nemotron 3.5 Lightning
Nvidia | Aug. 11, 2026
What it does: Nvidia framed its new model, part of its existing Nemotron 3 family, as a go-to workhorse for "high-volume" agentic tasks. Faster than similar models and customizable, it's geared toward specialized jobs, which it can target more directly alongside NeMo Switchyard, a new routing library Nvidia released with the model. With "the knowledge of Ultra packed into the size of Nano," as generative AI VP Kari Briski said during a briefing, Nemotron 3.5 Lightning can also run locally for better security.
Also: As Meta fades in open-source AI, Nvidia senses its chance to lead
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