AI & Machine Learning

LLM Fine-tuning

Adapt open-source LLMs (Llama, Mistral, Qwen, DeepSeek) to your domain — with LoRA, QLoRA, instruction tuning, and safe deployment guardrails.

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Overview

Generic LLMs are useful, but they don't know your domain. A fine-tuned Llama or Mistral model can match GPT-4 quality on your specific task at a fraction of the cost — but only if the fine-tuning is done right. Poor dataset prep, wrong hyperparameters, or missing eval harnesses produce a model that looks good in demos and fails in production.

CB4UHost's LLM Fine-tuning service handles the full pipeline: dataset preparation, base model selection, LoRA/QLoRA training, instruction tuning, evaluation, and safe deployment with guardrails. We build on open-source (Llama, Mistral, Qwen, DeepSeek) so you own the weights and avoid per-token licensing forever.

We're vendor-neutral on the training infrastructure too. We'll train on Lambda, CoreWeave, RunPod, AWS, GCP, or your own on-prem GPUs — whichever makes economic sense for your model size and timeline.

Every engagement ends with code, weights, eval reports, and runbooks — no black boxes. Your team owns the model and the pipeline after we leave.

What's included

Dataset prep + curation

We clean, dedupe, and format your training data — including synthetic data generation if your corpus is small.

Base model selection

We benchmark 2-3 base models (Llama 3, Mistral, Qwen, DeepSeek) against your task and recommend the best starting point.

LoRA / QLoRA training

Parameter-efficient fine-tuning that fits in 1-8 GPUs instead of a full cluster — dramatically lower cost than full fine-tuning.

Eval harness

Automated evaluation on your held-out test set + human eval rubric. You see the quality lift before deployment.

Deployment + guardrails

vLLM/TGI serving, rate limiting, content filtering, and observability so the model behaves in production.

Knowledge transfer

Runbooks, training scripts, and a 30-day optimization window so your team can retrain as your data evolves.

How we work

1

Task + data discovery

We work with you to define the task, assemble the training corpus, and establish baseline quality metrics.

2

Base model benchmark

We benchmark 2-3 candidate base models on your task and pick the best starting point.

3

Fine-tuning + eval

We run LoRA/QLoRA training, evaluate on your held-out set, and iterate until quality targets are met.

4

Deployment + guardrails

We stand up production serving with vLLM/TGI, add guardrails, and wire up observability.

5

Handover + optimization

We hand over code, weights, and runbooks — then optimize for 30 days based on real production traffic.

FAQ

Can fine-tuned open-source models really match GPT-4?

On domain-specific tasks (your support tickets, your codebase, your documents), yes — often exceeding GPT-4 quality at 1/10th the inference cost. For general knowledge tasks, GPT-4 still wins, which is why many teams use a hybrid: fine-tuned model for domain tasks, GPT-4 for general.

How much training data do I need?

For LoRA fine-tuning, 500-5,000 high-quality examples is often enough. For full instruction tuning, 10,000+. We can also generate synthetic data if your corpus is small.

Do I own the model weights?

Yes. You own the fine-tuned weights, the training code, and the eval harness. No per-token licensing, no vendor lock-in.

What does it cost?

Typical engagement: $8,000-$25,000 depending on model size, data prep complexity, and number of base models benchmarked. GPU costs are pass-through at provider rates.

Ready to talk?

Tell us about your project. We'll come back with a scoped proposal and a fixed-fee quote.

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