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Moonshot AIKimiQwen2ForCausalLM

Kimi Dev 72B — Hardware Requirements & GPU Compatibility

ChatCodeFunctions

Kimi Dev 72B is Moonshot AI's developer-focused model built on the Qwen2.5-72B architecture, specifically optimized for coding tasks, tool use, and agentic workflows. It combines strong general-purpose chat abilities with specialized developer capabilities, making it a compelling choice for software engineering assistance. At 72 billion parameters it requires substantial hardware, typically needing 40+ GB of VRAM at 4-bit quantization, which puts it in reach of dual consumer GPU setups or single professional cards like the A100 or RTX 6000 Ada. If you are primarily looking for a local coding assistant with strong reasoning skills, Kimi Dev is a top-tier option in the 70B class.

72.7B params · dense131K contextMIT2.6K downloads392 likes10.8K quant downloads
Based on Qwen2.5 72B

Doesn't fit a 24 GB GPU

Smallest consumer fit → Snapdragon X Elite Copilot+ PC · IQ2_XXS · 25.7 GB · ~4 tok/s

Macs from32 GB IQ2_S · ~12 tok/s

MIT

Not set up for it?

Reference GPU · RTX 4090 24 GB

Estimates, ±20% · how we estimate

Run Kimi Dev 72B

One recommended way. Every other method, OS and quant is in the step-by-step guide.Each way opens a step-by-step guide for your OS and quant.

Recommended

Ollama
one command · needs Ollama installed
$ollama run hf.co/mradermacher/Kimi-Dev-72B-i1-GGUF:Q4_K_M

Q4_K_M · needs ~49.3 GB · 16K context

Download: Kimi-Dev-72B.i1-Q4_K_M.gguf47.42 GBmradermacher

install, OS, other quants

Ways to runOther ways

each opens step-by-step

Run in cloud

Your own private copy · Q4_K_M · 96 GB GPU

  • The easiest way to try this model
  • Running in a few minutes, easy setup
  • Chat right here or connect any app

$5+ bonus for new users

How Much VRAM Does Kimi Dev 72B Need?

Select a quantization level; the listed hardware adheres to it.

QuantizationVRAM+32KOn RTX 4090 (reference)
31.9 GB41.9 GB2-bit · K-quant — 2-bit quantization with K-quant improvementsDoes not fit: needs 36.6 GB
32.8 GB42.9 GB3-bit small — 3-bit small quantizationDoes not fit: needs 37.5 GB
36.4 GB46.5 GB3-bit medium — 3-bit medium quantizationDoes not fit: needs 41.1 GB
37.3 GB47.4 GB4-bit · legacy — 4-bit legacy quantizationDoes not fit: needs 42 GB
44.6 GB54.7 GB4-bit medium — 4-bit medium quantization — most popular sweet spotDoes not fit: needs 49.3 GB
52.8 GB62.8 GB5-bit medium — 5-bit medium quantization — good quality/size tradeoffDoes not fit: needs 57.5 GB
61.0 GB71 GB6-bit, very good — 6-bit quantization, very good qualityDoes not fit: needs 65.7 GB
73.7 GB83.8 GB8-bit, near-lossless — 8-bit quantization, near-losslessDoes not fit: needs 78.4 GB

Selected Q4_K_M

4-bit medium quantization

49.3GBat 16K context

Weights
43.6 GB
KV cache
5.4 GB
Overhead
0.3 GB

Doesn't fit RTX 4090 (reference) · needs 25.3 GB more

≥10 tok/s needs ≥683 GB/s · M3 Ultra ~13, M2 Ultra ~13

Or .

Which Hardware Can Run Kimi Dev 72B?

Q4_K_M · 44.6 GB

Kimi Dev 72B (Q4_K_M) requires 44.6 GB of VRAM to load the model weights. For comfortable inference with headroom for KV cache and system overhead, 58+ GB is recommended. Using the full 131K context window can add up to 42.3 GB, bringing total usage to 86.9 GB. No consumer GPU has enough memory. 52 devices with unified memory can run Kimi Dev 72B, including Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 256GB), Mac Studio (M3 Ultra, 512GB), Mac Pro M2 Ultra (64 GB).

By VRAM tier · typical GPUs and Macs at Q4_K_M
8–16 GB · RTX 4060, RTX 3060 12GB, RTX 5060 Ti 16GBDoesn't fit — smallest quant needs 25.7 GB8 GB tier →12 GB tier →16 GB tier →
24 GB · RTX 4090referenceDoesn't fit — smallest quant needs 25.7 GB24 GB tier →
Mac 32 GB · Mac Mini M4IQ2_S · 28.4 GB · ~4 tok/s · 16KMacs →
Mac 64 GB · Mac Studio M4 MaxQ4_K_M · 49.3 GB · ~9 tok/s · 32KMacs →

Alternatives to Kimi Dev 72B

Kimi family · 5 models →

Similar models

6
ModelScoreVRAMtok/sWhy it is similar
Llama 3.3 70B InstructMeta80.051.3 GB—needs > 24 GBsame size
NVIDIA Nemotron 3.5 Bolt 74B A9B BF16NVIDIA—54.2 GB—needs > 24 GBsame size
Kolibri 1 BF16Aleph-Alpha—22.5 GB~237same size
Qwen2.5 VL 72B InstructAlibaba—49.7 GB—needs > 24 GBsame size
Qwen2 VL 72B InstructAlibaba—49.7 GB—needs > 24 GBsame size
Qwen1.5 72B ChatAlibaba—86.6 GB—needs > 24 GBsame size

Specifications

Publisher
Moonshot AI
Family
Kimi
Parameters
72.7B
Architecture
Qwen2ForCausalLM
Context Length
131,072 tokens
Vocabulary Size
152,064
Release Date
2025-06-16
License
MIT

Frequently Asked Questions

How much VRAM does Kimi Dev 72B need?

Kimi Dev 72B requires 44.6 GB of VRAM at Q4_K_M, or 146.4 GB at BF16. Full 131K context adds up to 42.3 GB (86.9 GB total).

VRAM = Weights + KV Cache + Overhead

Weights = 72.7B × 4.8 bits ÷ 8 = 43.6 GB

KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 1 GB (at 2K context + ~0.3 GB framework)

Fit ratings and hardware model lists check this model with room for a 16K-token context, which needs a little more memory.

KV Cache + Overhead ≈ 43.3 GB (at full 131K context)

VRAM usage by quantization

44.6 GB
86.9 GB

Learn more about VRAM estimation →

Can NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 run Kimi Dev 72B?

Yes, at IQ2_S (23.7 GB) or lower. Higher quantizations like IQ2_M (25.5 GB) exceed the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090's 24 GB.

What's the best quantization for Kimi Dev 72B?

For Kimi Dev 72B, Q4_K_M (44.6 GB) offers the best balance of quality and VRAM usage. Q5_0 (46.4 GB) provides better quality if you have the VRAM. The smallest option is IQ2_XXS at 21.0 GB.

VRAM requirement by quantization

IQ2_XXS
21.0 GB
IQ3_XS
31.0 GB
Q4_0
37.3 GB
Q4_K_M ★
44.6 GB
Q5_0
46.4 GB
BF16
146.4 GB

★ Recommended — best balance of quality and VRAM usage.

Learn more about quantization →

Can I run Kimi Dev 72B on a Mac?

Yes — Mac Studio M1 Max (32 GB) and 84 other Macs can run Kimi Dev 72B, the smallest at IQ2_S. Apple Silicon uses unified memory, so the model shares RAM with the system. At Q4_K_M you need at least 44.6 GB of usable unified memory (RAM minus macOS overhead), from Mac Pro M2 Ultra (64 GB).

Can I run Kimi Dev 72B locally?

Yes — Kimi Dev 72B can run locally on consumer hardware. Popular tools include Ollama, LM Studio, and llama.cpp.

How fast is Kimi Dev 72B?

At Q4_K_M, Kimi Dev 72B can reach ~108 tok/s on AMD Instinct MI350X. Speed depends mainly on GPU memory bandwidth. Real-world results typically within ±20%.

tok/s = (bandwidth GB/s ÷ model GB) × efficiency

Example: NVIDIA B200 → 8000 ÷ 44.6 × 0.65 = ~117 tok/s

Estimated speed at Q4_K_M (44.6 GB)

~117 tok/s
~117 tok/s
~108 tok/s

Real-world results typically within ±20%. Speed depends on batch size, quantization kernel, and software stack.

Learn more about tok/s estimation →

What's the download size of Kimi Dev 72B?

At Q4_K_M, the download is about 43.62 GB. The full-precision BF16 version is 145.41 GB. The smallest option (IQ2_XXS) is 19.99 GB.

Which GPUs can run Kimi Dev 72B?

No single consumer GPU has enough VRAM to run Kimi Dev 72B at Q4_K_M (44.6 GB). Multi-GPU or professional hardware is required.

Which devices can run Kimi Dev 72B?

52 devices with unified memory can run Kimi Dev 72B at Q4_K_M (44.6 GB), including ASUS Ascent GX10, Beelink GTR9 Pro (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128 GB), Framework Desktop (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128 GB), GMKtec EVO-X2 (Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128 GB). Apple Silicon Macs use unified memory shared between CPU and GPU, making them well-suited for local LLM inference.