AI shouldn’t be locked to one hardware vendor or chip. We’re building MAX to democratize AI compute, giving developers and companies the freedom to build and deploy AI across different hardware platforms without vendor lock-in.
Making the MAX stack source available is a major step toward that vision. The new MAX License is designed to balance two priorities: giving developers the freedom to build and ensuring a unified, sustainable ecosystem.
The license allows anyone to use, modify, and build commercial products with MAX, without licensing fees or royalties. Its few restrictions are designed to prevent fragmentation into incompatible versions, encouraging collaboration and innovation around a common software foundation.
The following FAQ explains how the license works in practice. For the definitive terms, please refer to the full MAX License.
Cost and commercial use
Does MAX cost anything?
No. The MAX License is free, royalty-free use of MAX worldwide, in perpetuity.
Can I use MAX in a commercial product?
Yes. You can build on MAX and distribute what you build, in object code form, under license terms of your choosing. You must include a copy of the MAX License with your distribution (or its docs), and keep the MAX portions under the MAX License. Your own code stays yours.
Can I bundle MAX inside my own application?
Yes, if your application does meaningfully more than MAX on its own. You must ship MAX in object code form and include a copy of the MAX License.
We want developers and companies to build successful applications and products on top of MAX. The goal of this restriction is simply to prevent lightly modified or rebranded versions of MAX from being sold as competing products, which could fragment the ecosystem and slow innovation for everyone.
Can I offer MAX as a hosted service?
Yes. If you’re offering MAX as a hosted or managed AI training or inference service, you must use the Modular Accelerated mark in accordance with our brand guidelines and obtain Modular’s written approval through the Brand Portal or by contacting usage@modular.com.
The mark helps customers identify services powered by official MAX, while the approval process gives us an opportunity to work with providers to ensure a high-quality customer experience.
We also encourage cloud and infrastructure providers interested in deeper integrations to join the Modular alliance program, launching in the coming months. Please reach out to us now at alliance@modular.com if you’d like to learn more before the launch.
Building on and distributing MAX
Can I distribute packages that build on MAX?
Yes. You can publish packages that build on MAX, such as libraries, plugins, or model packages, in object code form and under license terms of your choosing. When your package includes any part of MAX, you must:
- Include a copy of the MAX License in the package or its documentation.
- Keep the MAX portions under the MAX License, even if the rest of your package uses a different license (e.g., Apache 2).
- Not include modified MAX source code. Modified source can only be published in a fork of Modular’s official repository for the purpose of contributing back to MAX.
We want the community to create packages built on MAX. The limitation that requires a unified source means every package builds on the core distribution and encourages ecosystem partners to upstream their work, reducing fragmentation.
Can I publish modified MAX source code?
For code under the MAX License, only in a fork of Modular’s official repository for the purpose of contributing changes back to MAX. Publishing modified MAX License source code elsewhere is not permitted.
The portions of MAX under the Apache 2.0 license can be used and modified per the conditions of the Apache 2.0 license.
We welcome forks and contributions as an important part of open development. When bug fixes, performance improvements, and new capabilities are contributed upstream, the entire MAX community benefits. These requirements are designed to encourage that collaboration while preventing long-lived, incompatible versions of MAX that could fragment the ecosystem and slow innovation.
For organizations that need to maintain substantial customizations, such as support for proprietary hardware without upstreaming those changes, the alliance program will provide greater flexibility through a common set of compatibility requirements and tests.
What do I need to do when I distribute MAX?
To distribute MAX, you must:
- Include a copy of the MAX License.
- Preserve Modular’s existing notices and marks.
- Not imply that your product is created, endorsed, or validated by Modular.
These requirements make it clear to developers what they’re running and who stands behind it, and follows best practices and standards in open source licensing.
Are any parts of MAX under a different license?
Yes. Some components use Apache 2.0 with LLVM Exceptions, and some include third-party code under other licenses, mostly permissive ones such as MIT. These are listed in our third-party notices and noted in each component’s LICENSE file or header. Those licenses govern those components, and the MAX License doesn’t narrow them.
What if I need to go further than the license allows?
The license covers what most developers and companies need. Chip makers, cloud providers, and model labs building on MAX at scale often need more than a license alone can give them: direct engineering support, early access to model checkpoints, roadmap visibility and input, priority for upstream contributions, and a voice in governance and conformance standards.
The Modular alliance program is how they’ll do that. Partners build against stable interfaces and a neutral, shared compatibility standard, so MAX remains one platform even as more hardware joins it. Modular continues to steward MAX together with our alliance partners: no silicon vendor gets special treatment, and anyone can build on top.
We’re registering interest now, ahead of a formal launch in early 2027. Get in touch at modular.com/alliance or alliance@modular.com.
AI, data, and IP
Can I use AI tools with MAX?
Yes. You can use AI tools to read, analyze, improve, or explain MAX, or to develop software that builds on or integrates with MAX. We use these tools ourselves and encourage the community to do the same.
The only restriction is that you cannot use MAX-licensed components as training data, fine-tuning data, or AI inputs to generate software that reimplements or replaces MAX. The goal is to encourage AI-powered development and innovation on top of MAX, while preventing AI-generated alternatives that could fragment the ecosystem.
Does MAX collect data?
Yes. MAX may collect telemetry and usage data, which Modular can use to improve its products. Personal information is covered by the Modular Privacy Policy.
At any time, you can opt out of the collection of this telemetry by setting the environment variables
export MODULAR_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=0
to disable all Mojo and low-level MAX usage telemetry and
export MAX_SERVE_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1
to opt out of MAX model serving telemetry.
Updates, support, and termination
What happens when the license changes?
Each MAX release is governed by the license that ships with it. New terms apply only to releases made available on or after their effective date, so you can keep using an older version under its original license terms.
Does Modular provide support or updates?
Modular may provide updates, bug fixes, and support at its discretion, but is not obligated to do so under the license. In practice, we’ve been releasing new versions of MAX approximately every 6-8 weeks, and we remain committed to maintaining that pace of innovation.
Can the license be terminated?
You can terminate the license at any time by ceasing use of MAX. If you materially violate the license, rights granted to you terminate.
Join the alliance program
Making MAX source available is a major step toward unifying AI compute across hardware platforms. We’re bringing together chip makers, model labs, data center operators, and cloud providers to build a common software foundation that unlocks heterogeneous compute and gives the entire ecosystem greater choice and flexibility.
If you’d like to help shape this future, join us at modular.com/alliance or contact alliance@modular.com.