AbstractThis article introduces the second generation CMCC Earth System Model (CMCC‐ESM2) that extends a number of marine and terrestrial biogeochemical processes with respect to its CMIP5 predecessor. In particular, land biogeochemistry was extended to a wider set of carbon pools and plant functional types, along with a prognostic representation of the nitrogen cycle. The marine ecosystem representation was reshaped toward an intermediate complexity of lower trophic level interactions, including an interactive benthic compartment and a new formulation of heterotrophic bacterial population. Details are provided on the model setup and implementation for the different experiments performed as contribution to the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. CMCC‐ESM2 shows an equilibrium climate sensitivity of 3.57°C and a transient climate response of 1.97°C which are close to the CMIP5 and CMIP6 multi‐model averages. The evaluation of the coupled climate‐carbon response in the historical period against available observational datasets show a consistent representation of both physical and biogeochemical quantities. However, the land carbon sink is found to be weaker than the current global carbon estimates and the simulated marine primary production is slightly below the satellite‐based average over recent decades. Future projections coherently show a prominent global warming over the northern hemisphere with intensified precipitations at high latitudes. The expected ranges of variability for oceanic pH and oxygen, as well as land carbon and nitrogen soil storage, compare favorably with those assessed from other CMIP6 models.