Hermes 4 70B (Non-reasoning)

Fast, Smart, and Cost-Effective 70B Model

Hermes 4 70B (Non-reasoning)

Hermes 4 70B, powered by Llama-3.1, delivers an exceptional blend of intelligence, speed, and affordability for non-reasoning tasks, positioning it as a strong contender in its class.

70BNon-ReasoningOpen LicenseHigh SpeedCost-EffectiveConcise Output

Hermes 4 70B, built upon the robust Llama-3.1 architecture, emerges as a highly competitive model for applications requiring efficient and intelligent text processing without complex reasoning. Benchmarked on Nebius (FP8), this model demonstrates a compelling balance across critical performance metrics: superior intelligence, impressive output speed, and attractive pricing. It's designed for developers and businesses seeking a powerful, open-weight solution that excels in generating concise and relevant text outputs, making it suitable for a wide array of generative AI tasks.

In terms of raw intelligence, Hermes 4 70B scores a notable 24 on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, placing it at #14 out of 33 models evaluated. This score signifies that it performs above the average intelligence benchmark of 22 for comparable models. What's particularly impressive is its conciseness; during the Intelligence Index evaluation, it generated 6.0 million tokens, significantly less verbose than the average of 8.5 million tokens. This efficiency in output generation translates directly into lower operational costs and faster processing, as less data needs to be transmitted and consumed.

Speed is another area where Hermes 4 70B truly shines. With a median output speed of 76 tokens per second, it ranks #7 out of 33 models, comfortably surpassing the average speed of 60 tokens per second. This high throughput is crucial for real-time applications, interactive user experiences, and large-scale content generation where rapid response times are paramount. Coupled with a low latency of just 0.58 seconds to the first token, the model ensures a smooth and responsive user experience, minimizing wait times for initial output.

From a cost perspective, Hermes 4 70B offers a highly competitive pricing structure. Its input token price stands at $0.13 per 1 million tokens, which is moderately priced compared to the average of $0.20. The output token price is $0.40 per 1 million tokens, also moderately priced against an average of $0.54. This results in a blended price of $0.20 per 1 million tokens (based on a 3:1 input:output ratio), making it an economically viable choice for many applications. The total cost to evaluate Hermes 4 70B on the Intelligence Index was $8.73, further underscoring its cost-effectiveness for extensive use.

Overall, Hermes 4 70B presents a compelling package for developers. Its strong performance in intelligence, combined with its high speed and attractive pricing, positions it as a top-tier open-weight, non-reasoning model. Supporting text input and output with a generous 128k token context window, it offers flexibility and power for a diverse range of applications, from advanced summarization and content creation to efficient chatbot responses and data extraction.

Scoreboard

Intelligence

24 (#14 / 33 / 3 out of 4 units)

Above average among comparable models (average: 22). Excels in generating concise, high-quality outputs.
Output speed

76.4 tokens/s

Significantly faster than average (60 tokens/s), ranking #7 in its class. Ideal for high-throughput applications.
Input price

$0.13 per 1M tokens

Moderately priced, below the average of $0.20. Offers good value for input processing.
Output price

$0.40 per 1M tokens

Moderately priced, below the average of $0.54. Cost-effective for generating substantial output.
Verbosity signal

6.0M Output tokens

Very concise, generating 6.0M tokens compared to an average of 8.5M for the Intelligence Index. Reduces cost and improves efficiency.
Provider latency

0.58 seconds

Low time to first token on Nebius (FP8), ensuring responsive user experiences.

Technical specifications

Spec Details
Model Name Hermes 4 - Llama-3.1 70B (Non-reasoning)
Model Size 70 Billion Parameters
Owner Nous Research
License Open
Context Window 128,000 tokens
Input Type Text
Output Type Text
Primary Provider Nebius (FP8)
Intelligence Index Score 24
Output Speed (Median) 76 tokens/second
Latency (TTFT) 0.58 seconds
Input Token Price $0.13 per 1M tokens
Output Token Price $0.40 per 1M tokens
Blended Price (3:1) $0.20 per 1M tokens

What stands out beyond the scoreboard

Where this model wins
  • Exceptional Speed: Outperforms most models with 76 tokens/second output, ideal for high-throughput and real-time applications.
  • High Intelligence, Concise Output: Achieves an above-average intelligence score while generating significantly fewer tokens, leading to lower costs and faster processing.
  • Cost-Effective Pricing: Competitively priced input and output tokens, especially with its efficient output generation, making it economical for scale.
  • Generous Context Window: A 128k token context window allows for processing and generating extensive documents and complex conversations.
  • Open-Source Flexibility: As an open-weight model, it offers greater control, customization, and community support.
Where costs sneak up
  • High Output Volume: While concise, applications requiring extremely large volumes of output tokens can still accumulate significant costs.
  • Context Window Management: Utilizing the full 128k context window extensively can increase input token costs, especially for long-running sessions or complex prompts.
  • Provider-Specific Optimizations: Performance and pricing are benchmarked on Nebius (FP8); other providers might offer different cost/performance trade-offs.
  • Fine-tuning Expenses: While the model is open, the computational resources and expertise required for fine-tuning can add substantial development costs.
  • Non-Reasoning Limitations: For tasks requiring complex logical deduction or multi-step problem-solving, a reasoning-focused model might be more efficient, potentially saving costs on prompt engineering for workarounds.

Provider pick

Choosing the right provider for Hermes 4 70B is crucial for optimizing both performance and cost. While Nebius (FP8) is the benchmarked provider demonstrating excellent metrics, understanding your specific priorities can guide your decision.

Nebius offers a highly optimized environment for Hermes 4, delivering impressive speed and low latency. However, depending on your infrastructure, existing cloud relationships, or specific compliance needs, other providers might be considered, even if they require custom deployment or offer different performance profiles.

Priority Pick Why Tradeoff to accept
Priority Pick Why Tradeoff
Balanced Performance & Cost Nebius (FP8) Benchmark shows excellent speed (76 t/s), low latency (0.58s), and competitive pricing ($0.20/M blended). May require specific integration with Nebius ecosystem.
Maximum Control & Customization Self-Hosted (On-Prem/Cloud) Direct access to model weights, full control over infrastructure, security, and fine-tuning. Significant operational overhead, higher initial setup costs, requires specialized ML engineering talent.
Existing Cloud Infrastructure Major Cloud Provider (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) Leverage existing cloud credits, infrastructure, and services. Deploy Hermes 4 on optimized instances. Performance may vary based on instance type and optimization; potentially higher per-token cost than Nebius.
Developer Agility & Ease of Use Managed LLM Platform (e.g., Hugging Face Inference Endpoints) Simplified deployment, scaling, and API access without managing underlying infrastructure. Less control over specific hardware optimizations, potentially higher per-token cost, limited customization.
Cost-Efficiency (Hypothetical) Specialized Inference Provider (e.g., Anyscale, Together.ai) Often offer highly optimized inference for open models at competitive rates. Performance and pricing can fluctuate; may not offer the same level of support as larger cloud providers.

Note: Performance and pricing for providers other than Nebius (FP8) are estimates based on general market offerings for open-weight models and would require independent benchmarking.

Real workloads cost table

Understanding the real-world cost implications of Hermes 4 70B involves analyzing typical use cases and estimating token consumption. Given its high speed, conciseness, and competitive pricing, it's well-suited for a variety of generative AI tasks. The following scenarios illustrate potential costs based on the Nebius (FP8) pricing structure.

These estimates assume a 3:1 input-to-output token ratio for the blended price calculation, but individual scenarios will vary. The 128k context window allows for complex inputs, but careful prompt engineering can optimize token usage.

Scenario Input Output What it represents Estimated cost
Scenario Input Output What it represents Estimated Cost
Summarizing a Long Document 50,000 tokens (e.g., a research paper) 1,000 tokens (e.g., executive summary) Condensing extensive information into a concise overview. $0.13 (input) + $0.0004 (output) = $6.53
Generating Marketing Copy 500 tokens (e.g., product brief) 2,000 tokens (e.g., multiple ad variations) Creating diverse content from a short prompt. $0.000065 (input) + $0.0008 (output) = $0.000865
Advanced Chatbot Interaction 2,000 tokens (e.g., conversation history) 500 tokens (e.g., detailed response) Sustained, context-aware dialogue with users. $0.00026 (input) + $0.0002 (output) = $0.00046
Data Extraction & Structuring 10,000 tokens (e.g., unstructured text) 500 tokens (e.g., JSON output) Parsing and formatting information from large text blocks. $0.0013 (input) + $0.0002 (output) = $0.0015
Code Generation (Small Function) 1,000 tokens (e.g., requirements, existing code) 500 tokens (e.g., Python function) Assisting developers with boilerplate or small code snippets. $0.00013 (input) + $0.0002 (output) = $0.00033
Translating a Webpage 20,000 tokens (e.g., full page content) 20,000 tokens (e.g., translated page) Translating substantial text volumes between languages. $0.0026 (input) + $0.008 (output) = $0.0106

Hermes 4 70B's cost-effectiveness becomes evident in scenarios with moderate to high input and output volumes, especially where its conciseness reduces overall output token count. For tasks involving very long inputs or outputs, careful token management and prompt engineering are key to keeping costs optimized.

How to control cost (a practical playbook)

Optimizing costs with Hermes 4 70B involves strategic use of its features and understanding the pricing model. Its high speed and conciseness are inherent advantages, but proactive measures can further enhance efficiency and reduce expenditure.

Here are key strategies to maximize value from Hermes 4 70B, focusing on both technical implementation and operational best practices.

Leverage Conciseness for Output Efficiency

Hermes 4 70B is noted for its concise outputs. Capitalize on this by:

  • Explicitly instructing brevity: In your prompts, ask the model to be concise, e.g., "Summarize this in 3 sentences" or "Provide only the key facts."
  • Structured output formats: Requesting JSON or bullet points can naturally limit verbosity compared to free-form text.
  • Post-processing: Implement a lightweight post-processing step to trim unnecessary words or phrases if the model occasionally over-generates.
Optimize Context Window Usage

The 128k context window is powerful but can be costly if overused. Manage it effectively by:

  • Summarization & Compression: Before feeding long documents, use a smaller, cheaper model or even Hermes 4 itself to summarize or extract key information.
  • Sliding Window/Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG): For very long documents, process them in chunks or retrieve only the most relevant sections to inject into the prompt.
  • Prompt Engineering: Craft prompts that are precise and avoid unnecessary conversational fluff that consumes input tokens.
Batching and Asynchronous Processing

Given Hermes 4's high output speed, consider batching requests to maximize throughput and potentially reduce per-request overhead:

  • Queueing Requests: For non-real-time applications, queue multiple prompts and send them in a single batch to the API.
  • Asynchronous Calls: Utilize asynchronous API calls to process multiple requests concurrently, especially if your application can handle parallel processing.
  • Provider-Specific Batching: Check if your chosen provider offers specific batch inference endpoints or features that can further optimize cost and speed.
Monitor and Analyze Token Usage

Proactive monitoring is essential for cost control:

  • Implement Logging: Log input and output token counts for every API call.
  • Cost Dashboards: Create dashboards to visualize token consumption and associated costs over time, broken down by application or feature.
  • Set Alerts: Configure alerts for unusual spikes in token usage or when costs approach predefined thresholds.
Strategic Model Selection for Sub-tasks

While Hermes 4 70B is versatile, not every sub-task requires its full power:

  • Task Decomposition: Break down complex tasks into smaller components.
  • Tiered Model Usage: Use smaller, cheaper models (e.g., 7B or 13B variants, or even specialized models) for simple tasks like classification, entity extraction, or initial filtering.
  • Hermes 4 for Core Generation: Reserve Hermes 4 70B for its strengths: high-quality, concise content generation and complex summarization.

FAQ

What is Hermes 4 70B and what is its base model?

Hermes 4 70B is a powerful, open-weight large language model developed by Nous Research. It is based on the Llama-3.1 70B architecture, fine-tuned for enhanced performance in non-reasoning generative tasks.

Is Hermes 4 70B suitable for complex reasoning tasks?

Hermes 4 70B is explicitly labeled as a "Non-reasoning" model. While it can perform well on many tasks, it is not optimized for complex logical deduction, multi-step problem-solving, or intricate analytical reasoning. For such tasks, models specifically designed for reasoning capabilities might be more appropriate.

What is the typical latency and output speed of Hermes 4 70B?

Benchmarked on Nebius (FP8), Hermes 4 70B exhibits a low latency of 0.58 seconds to the first token. Its median output speed is an impressive 76 tokens per second, making it one of the faster models in its class.

How does Hermes 4 70B's pricing compare to other models?

Hermes 4 70B offers competitive pricing with an input token cost of $0.13 per 1M tokens and an output token cost of $0.40 per 1M tokens on Nebius (FP8). This is generally below the average for comparable models, especially considering its high performance and conciseness.

What is the context window size for Hermes 4 70B?

Hermes 4 70B features a substantial context window of 128,000 tokens. This allows it to process and generate responses based on very long inputs, making it suitable for tasks involving extensive documents or prolonged conversations.

Can Hermes 4 70B be fine-tuned for specific use cases?

Yes, as an open-weight model, Hermes 4 70B can be fine-tuned on custom datasets to adapt its behavior and knowledge to specific domains or tasks. This offers significant flexibility for developers to tailor the model to their unique requirements.

What types of applications is Hermes 4 70B best suited for?

Hermes 4 70B excels in applications requiring high-quality, concise text generation and summarization. This includes content creation (marketing copy, articles), advanced chatbots, data extraction, code generation, and efficient summarization of long documents, particularly where speed and cost-efficiency are critical.


Subscribe