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

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.