ServiceNowOpen Weightstext

Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker

Updated Sep 27, 2026
Parameters
15B
Context
8,192
License
Open Weights
Updated
Sep 27, 2026

Intelligence benchmarks

Artificial Analysis indexes - compared with the best open and proprietary models

Intelligence

13.4

AA Index

Intelligence Index - Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker vs. the field

Best open-weight models (you can run locally) and leading proprietary models for context.

Claude Opus 5.5
57.6
closed
Claude Fable 5.1
53.4
closed
GPT-6 Astra
52.7
closed
Muse Spark 1.3
48.1
closed
GPT-6 Sol
47.5
closed
MiMo-V2.6-Pro
46.3
open
GLM-5.3
44.8
open
Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker
13.4
open

Benchmark data from Artificial Analysis · updated 2026-09-27.

Standard benchmarks

Performance across standard evaluations

BenchmarkScore
GPQA Diamond73.3
AIME88
HLE10.8
LiveCodeBench80.7
IFBench69.1
Terminal-Bench14.4

Source: Artificial Analysis component evals - updated 2026-09-27.

Will it run on your hardware?

Pick your GPU memory - see which quantizations fit, and the cheapest card for the rest

Runs on your 24 GB - best at Q4_K_M
1 of 1 quantizations fit Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker with real runtime overhead.
Q4_K_M
8.7 GB
fits tight too big

Need an exact figure for your context length? Use the VRAM calculator.

Deep dive

Notes, sources, and the full write-up

Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker is a 15B-parameter open-weight model from ServiceNow. It scores 13.4 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index. At Q4_K_M it needs roughly 9 GB of VRAM, placing it in the 8–12 GB GPU hardware tier.

Benchmarks

Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index - Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker vs. leading closed models:

ModelIntelligenceCodingGPQA
Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker20.5-73.3
Claude Opus 5 (max)60.77893.2
Claude Fable 5 (with fallback)59.976.592.6
GPT-5.6 Sol (max)58.977.494.1
GPT-5.6 Terra (max)5576.792.5
Grok 4.5 (high)53.872.493.1

Source: Artificial Analysis (2026-07-30).

Popularity

Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker has 0 downloads in the last month on HuggingFace.

Frequently asked

Quick answers to common questions

How much VRAM does Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker need?

Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker with 15B parameters needs significant VRAM depending on quantization. Use our VRAM calculator for an exact estimate.

Is Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker better than other ServiceNow models?

Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker has 15B parameters with 8,192 context - a strong choice for general use.

What license is Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker under?

Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker is released under the Open Weights license, making it suitable for most commercial and personal projects.

What hardware runs Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker well?

With 15B parameters, Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker requires adequate VRAM. High-end GPUs like the RTX 4090 (24GB), RTX 5090 (32GB), or Mac Studio with unified memory are good options. Check our hardware directory for specific recommendations.

What is the best quantization for Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker?

Q4_K_M is the recommended sweet spot - ~98% of FP16 quality at ~27% of the size. Step up to Q5_K_M or Q8_0 only if you have spare VRAM. Use our VRAM calculator to compare.

What models compete with Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker?

Apriel-v1.6-15B-Thinker competes with other models in its class. Browse our model directory for comparisons, benchmarks, and community reviews to find the best fit.

Nearby options

Similar models and compatible hardware by spec