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New Storage Method to Revolutionize Data Management on Hugging Face Hub


According to recent findings, Content-Defined Chunking (CDC) has proven to be a game-changer for efficient data management on Hugging Face Hub. By storing files as chunks instead of whole files, users can experience significant reductions in storage requirements and faster transfer times. This cutting-edge method is particularly beneficial for models and checkpoints with minimal changes between versions, enabling substantial savings in both space and time.

  • The Hugging Face team has implemented Content-Defined Chunking (CDC) for efficient data management.
  • CDC reduces storage requirements by up to 53% for specific file types, particularly fine-tuned models and model checkpoints.
  • Compared to traditional Git LFS-backed repositories, CDC significantly improves upload/download times.
  • CDC achieves faster upload/download times (19 minutes vs. 51 minutes) and reduced storage requirements.



  • The Hugging Face team has made a groundbreaking announcement regarding their storage solutions for models, datasets, and spaces stored on their platform. According to recent data, they have implemented a novel approach called Content-Defined Chunking (CDC), which allows for more efficient data management by storing files as chunks instead of as whole files.

    This new method enables users to only transfer and save modified chunks, leading to significantly faster upload/download times and reduced storage requirements. In comparison to traditional Git LFS-backed repositories, CDC can cut the average download time from 51 minutes to just 19 minutes, while reducing the average upload time from 47 minutes to 24 minutes.

    Furthermore, by using this approach, Hugging Face aims to reduce the total storage footprint by up to 53% for specific file types. This is particularly beneficial for fine-tuned models and model checkpoints, which often only modify a subset of parameters and can benefit greatly from deduplication.

    To understand how CDC works, we need to delve into its underlying principles. The method treats files as variable-sized chunks using rolling hash algorithms that scan the byte sequence. When a predefined condition is met, chunk boundaries are determined, allowing for fine-grained updates in the event of insertions or deletions.

    In reality, this new approach has already shown promising results during testing with real-world datasets and models. For example, when comparing Xet-backed storage to Git LFS on the Hugging Face Hub, benchmarking revealed a consistent 50% improvement in both storage efficiency and transfer performance across multiple development use cases.

    One notable example was the CORD-19 dataset, which saw an impressive reduction in storage requirements by up to 53% with CDC. By implementing this method, the team hopes to not only save costs but also minimize user and machine waiting time for teams working with various versions of models or datasets.

    According to initial estimates, applying Content-Defined Chunking to a collection of files could yield substantial benefits, including reduced storage needs on large model checkpoints like those that make up approximately 200 TB of data on the Hub. With an estimated savings of around 100 TB of storage immediately and roughly 7-8 TB monthly going forward at 50% deduplication, this new method appears poised to revolutionize data management on the Hugging Face platform.

    In conclusion, the introduction of Content-Defined Chunking represents a significant step forward for Hugging Face in addressing the growing need for efficient data storage solutions. As their team continues to refine and expand upon this innovative approach, users can expect to see tangible improvements in both storage efficiency and upload/download speeds on the platform.

    Related Information:

  • https://huggingface.co/blog/from-files-to-chunks

  • https://huggingface.co/docs/hub/en/spaces-storage

  • https://github.com/huggingface/hub-docs/blob/main/docs/hub/spaces-storage.md


  • Published: Wed Nov 20 11:15:50 2024 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M











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