Qwen3.5-397B-A17B is developing similar reasoning chains to Gemini 3 - 2026 Update

At the beginning of 2026, Alibaba Cloud’s newly developed Qwen3.5-397B-A17B AI model attracted significant attention in the tech world after being found to use thought chains remarkably similar to those of Google’s Gemini 3 model. This similarity extends beyond superficial output patterns; it reveals deep structural alignment in the model’s internal decision-making mechanisms, step-by-step reasoning processes, and multimodal data processing strategies.

Qwen3.5-397B-A17B: A New Standard for Multimodal Agents

The Qwen3.5 series is Alibaba’s most advanced open-source multimodal model, released in 2026. The model stands out with its ability to simultaneously understand and integrate text, visual, audio, and even code data. Notably, when compared to Gemini 3, both models apply ‘chain-of-thought’ techniques in strikingly similar ways, with Qwen3.5 even demonstrating greater consistency and computational efficiency in certain scenarios.

This similarity suggests that AI models’ ‘reasoning’ processes are evolving along convergent pathways. Researchers believe this stems from shared patterns in training datasets and the reflection of globally adopted best practices within the AI community.

Internal Architecture and Performance Comparison

Detailed analyses shared on the LocalLLaMA subreddit show that Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, like Gemini 3, generates step-by-step hypotheses when solving complex problems and reduces errors by applying validation mechanisms at each stage. This approach delivers 12–18% higher accuracy rates in mathematical problem-solving, code generation, and visual recognition tasks.

Particularly noteworthy is the structural similarity between the ‘self-correction’ mechanisms of both models—that is, their ability to re-read their own outputs and correct inconsistencies. This significantly mitigates the ‘hallucination’ problems commonly seen in previous-generation models.

Industry Implications and Future Possibilities

This similarity between Qwen3.5 and Gemini 3 signals a new paradigm in the AI industry: the standardization of ‘reasoning’. Models developed by different companies, even with distinct architectures, are now following similar cognitive processes. This trend demonstrates that open-weight models are advancing faster than their proprietary counterparts.

As of 2026, the Qwen series sits at the center of China’s AI leadership strategy. Meanwhile, research labs in Europe and the United States are collaborating on common protocols to design more efficient and transparent AI systems, leveraging these observed similarities.

Source and Review

This analysis is based on the LocalLLaMA Reddit post and the official technical reports for Qwen3.5. Full performance metrics are detailed on the Qwen.ai/blog page.