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Foundation Model
A general-purpose model pre-trained on massive datasets, serving as the base on which all kinds of services are built.
In plain words
A foundation model is a large, general-purpose model pre-trained on massive amounts of data. On top of this "foundation," people add fine-tuning, RAG, and apps to build all sorts of services. GPT, Claude, Gemini, and Llama are all foundation models.
The name comes from an analogy to building foundations — laying the foundation is so expensive that only a handful of companies can do it, but anyone can build the structure on top. That's where the phrase "a startup built on a foundation model" comes from.
See also
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