Meta and Microsoft Release Llama 2 as Open Source

Meta's Llama-2, developed in collaboration with Microsoft, marks a shift from its predecessor by being released as an open-source model accessible to the public, unlike the original LlaMA which was limited to the research community. Llama-2 is notable for being built from the ground up with a 4k context window, offering a distinct advantage over models created by merging to expand context, thus avoiding potential performance dilution. It reportedly performs better than models like ChatGPT and Vicuna and significantly surpasses others such as Falcon-40B, particularly in interactive applications. Although free for personal and commercial use, obtaining the original model files involves a process requiring a Meta account and approval, while quantized versions are available through TheBloke on HuggingFace, albeit with trade-offs in inference and perplexity. For those concerned about the resource demands of running larger models like the 70b variant, quantization offers a practical solution by reducing costs, with users encouraged to seek support via Discord if needed.