Leveraging Llama 3.1 on Vertex AI: A Technical Deep Dive — Part 1

Ali Arsanjani
2 min readJul 24, 2024

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Google Cloud Vertex AI provides a robust platform to harness the power of Llama 3.1, the brand new 405b parameter state-of-the-art family of large language models.

This post will provide the broader intro. I’ll follow up with hands on usage.

The availability of the Llama models in Vertex AI enables many Enterprise ready features. Let’s discuss each one.

Streamlined Experimentation by allowing Developers to rapidly prototype and iterate on Llama 3.1 applications through simplified API calls. Vertex AI’s environment allows for granular evaluations, eliminating the overhead of complex deployments.

Enables Custom Model Adaptation through Fine-tuning Llama 3.1 (8B, 70B, 405B models) with proprietary datasets empowers the creation of highly specialized solutions. This customization enhances model performance on specific tasks, improving its relevance to your domain.

Augment the generated content using Google’s Vertex AI Enhanced Grounding service to enhance and verify Factual Accuracy. Vertex AI offers diverse tools for grounding and retrieval augmented generation (RAG). Seamlessly connect Llama 3.1 with enterprise systems, leverage Vertex AI Search for internal information retrieval, or utilize Llama 3 for text generation. This ensures AI outputs are reliable and contextually relevant.

A Doogler guiding a Llama herd to pass through Enterprise AI valley

You can develop Intelligent Agents using Vertex AI’s comprehensive toolset, including LangChain, that streamlines the creation and orchestration of intelligent agents powered by LLMs like Llama 3.1. The Genkit Vertex AI plugin facilitates smooth integration of LLMs into existing AI experiences.

This managed service in Vertex allows Scalable and Cost-Effective Deployment since Vertex AI abstracts the complexities of deployment and scaling, even for the massive 405B model. Flexible auto-scaling and pay-as-you-go pricing optimize resource utilization, while the purpose-built AI infrastructure ensures optimal performance.

Anyone seeking enterprise grade AI can rely on Robust Security and Compliance via Vertex AI Deployments that benefit from Meta’s Llama Guard and Google Cloud’s stringent security, privacy, and compliance measures. This multi-layered approach safeguards model integrity and protects sensitive data.

By leveraging Llama 3.1 on Vertex AI, developers and organizations can accelerate their production AI initiatives, harnessing the model’s cutting-edge capabilities within a secure, scalable, and user-friendly environment allowing them to scale, be secure, build and not have to worry about managing the underlying computer and infrastructure.

Call to action!

To begin Using Llama 3.1, head over to Model Garden, begin deploying, fine tuning and grounding.

Dive deeper into Meta’s announcement.

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Ali Arsanjani

Director Google, AI | EX: WW Tech Leader, Chief Principal AI/ML Solution Architect, AWS | IBM Distinguished Engineer and CTO Analytics & ML