---
title: "MiniMax M3.1 Flash scores 42 on Intelligence Index at half the cost"
url: https://www.parallelquant.com/posts/minimax-m3-1-flash-scores-42-on-intelligence-index-at-half-the-cost-70c5ca
source_name: "The Decoder"
source_url: https://the-decoder.com/minimax-m3-1-flash-shows-chinas-ai-price-race-has-no-floor-in-sight/
published: 2026-10-19T18:22:30.000Z
topics: ["llms"]
publisher: "Parallel Quant"
---

# MiniMax M3.1 Flash scores 42 on Intelligence Index at half the cost

*2026-10-19 · Source: [The Decoder](https://the-decoder.com/minimax-m3-1-flash-shows-chinas-ai-price-race-has-no-floor-in-sight/)*

MiniMax's M3.1 Flash rose 13 points over its predecessor to 42 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, at half the cost. It reaches 73.7 percent on DeepSWE v1.1 for under $0.30 per task, matching DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017.

**Why it matters:** Two Chinese labs matching each other on coding at under $0.30 per task shows prices for capable agent models still falling. That squeezes Western providers' margins and raises pressure behind China's planned open-weight export controls.

**Topics:** llms

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Read the original: https://the-decoder.com/minimax-m3-1-flash-shows-chinas-ai-price-race-has-no-floor-in-sight/
Canonical: https://www.parallelquant.com/posts/minimax-m3-1-flash-scores-42-on-intelligence-index-at-half-the-cost-70c5ca
Published by Parallel Quant — https://www.parallelquant.com