01What Nemetron 3 Ultra Hermes Agent Is
Nemetron 3 Ultra Hermes Agent is a free, open-source AI model you can use inside the Hermes Agent platform. This model, called Nemetron 3 Ultra, is a 550 billion parameter frontier model from NVIDIA and Nous Research. It is designed specifically for AI agents, not just chat.
That means it can run for hours, plan tasks, use tools, and recover from failures on its own.
In this episode, Julian Goldie shows how to get Nemetron 3 Ultra for free for two weeks on Nous Portal. You can plug it into Hermes Agent and give your AI agents a powerful brain for coding, reasoning, and deep research. The model is open source, so you can even host it locally if you have the hardware.
02Key Features and Benefits
Nemetron 3 Ultra is not a typical chat model. It is built for long-running agents. Here are the main features Julian explains:
- 5x faster than previous models, making it quick for tasks.
- Mixture of experts – it only uses the parts of the model it needs, so it is efficient.
- 30% fewer tokens on agentic tasks, saving you money.
- Open source – you can run it locally or use the free cloud option.
- Post-trained for agents – works well with harnesses like Hermes and OpenCore.
- Long horizon planning – it can handle multi-step tasks that take hours.
These features make it ideal for AI tasks that require planning and tool use over many steps. Julian emphasizes that it is a frontier model, but it is free for two weeks, which is a great deal.
03How to Set Up Nemetron 3 Ultra
Setting up Nemetron 3 Ultra is simple. Julian shows three steps:
- Sign up at Nous Portal, which is free.
- Connect it inside your terminal, or easier, go to the manage section of your AI agent.
- Go to the dashboard, then models, and select NVIDIA Nemetron 3 Ultra.
After that, you can start using it right away in chat or by giving tasks to Hermes Agent. Julian notes that the new mission control dashboard from Hermes Agent makes it even easier. You no longer need the terminal.
The dashboard came out yesterday, and it simplifies the whole process.
In the models section, you also see other free models like 3.7 Flash. So you have options, but Nemetron 3 Ultra is the focus here.
04Using Nemetron 3 Ultra with Hermes Agent
Once you have the model selected, you can start using it. Julian demonstrates a chat example and shows a 'living galaxy' they created just for fun. That shows the model's creative ability.
For more serious work, Julian explains that you can use goal mode. In goal mode, you give Hermes Agent a big task, like building a website or completing an SEO strategy. The agent will work for a set number of turns, for example 20 or 50.
A judge analyzes each turn to see if the task is done. If not, the agent keeps going until it finishes.
This is powerful because Nemetron 3 Ultra can plan and work for hours without you needing to step in. It is built for long-horizon tasks, so it handles planning, tool use, and error recovery well.
05Performance and Benchmarks
Julian shows benchmark comparisons of Nemetron 3 Ultra against other models like GLM 5.1, KimiK 2.6, and Kuen 3.5. Here are the results:
- Agent productivity: Nemetron 3 Ultra outperforms GLM and Kuen 3.5.
- Instruction following: It wins across the board.
- Long context: It outperforms all others.
- Long horizon planning: It beats KimiK 2.6 and Kuen 3.5, but not GLM 5.1.
Julian points out that Nemetron 3 Ultra excels at professional work tasks, long context, instruction following, and agent productivity. It is also post-trained for AI agent harnesses, so it works well with OpenCore too. You can find it on Hugging Face if you want to host it locally.
06Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid
Here are some tips and warnings from Julian:
- Free is only for two weeks – after that, you may need to pay or switch models.
- Don't assume free models are weak – this is a frontier model, but check the benchmarks for your specific task.
- Swapping models is easy – use the mission control dashboard, not the terminal.
- Goal mode is powerful but set realistic turns – too few turns might not finish complex tasks.
- Long horizon planning is a strength – use it for tasks that need many steps.
Avoid the mistake of thinking you need a huge setup. Nemetron 3 Ultra works in the free cloud, so you don't need local hardware unless you want to host it yourself.
07Who Should Use This and Why It Matters
This model is great for anyone using AI agents for complex work. If you build websites, do SEO, or run deep research, Nemetron 3 Ultra can handle those long tasks automatically. Julian mentions it is perfect for tasks like 'build a website' or 'complete my SEO strategy'.
It matters because it brings a frontier-grade model to free users. You get powerful reasoning and planning for AI agents without paying for expensive API calls. The open-source nature also means you have control if you want to run it locally.
If you are a beginner or a pro, the setup is easy. The new dashboard makes it even simpler. This could save you hours of manual work.
08Getting the Agent Operating System
Julian also mentions his full agent operating system for Hermes Agent and OpenCore. You can get it inside the AI Profitable Audium community. He explains that the community offers daily tutorials, coaching calls, and a map to meet local AI users.
He says you get a zip file for quick install, and the system is updated daily. If you want to manage multiple agents, this could be helpful. But the main point is that Nemetron 3 Ultra with Hermes Agent is a powerful free option to start with.
