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HNSW (Hierarchical Navigable Small World)
Hierarchical Navigable Small World
A multi-layered graph algorithm used in vector databases for super-fast approximate vector similarity retrieval.
Why it exists
Provides industry-leading search recall and ultra-low latency for vector databases.
How it works
Builds multi-layer graphs where top layers have long skip links for fast routing and bottom layers contain dense neighbor connections.
Related terms
Where you'll use this
roadmap