← Blog
Epoch
ML/dictionary/epoch
Definition
One full pass through the training dataset. Most large models are trained for less than a single epoch on a dataset so big that one pass is enough.
Posts that use this term
- Fine-tuning a model locally
When fine-tuning is the right answer (rarely) and how to do it on consumer hardware: LoRA, QLoRA, MLX-LM, Unsloth. A worked example fine-tuning Llama 3.2 3B on a 16GB Mac.
- How a model learns: training and inference
Training is the expensive one-time event where a model's numbers get tuned. Inference is the cheap repeated use afterwards. The gap in cost is enormous, and it shapes the whole industry.