LightOn sets new standards for complex information retrieval (RAG) with GTEModernColBERT.

DJ LightOn sets new standards for complex information retrieval (RAG) with GTEModernColBERT.

LIGHTON 
LightOn sets new standards for complex information retrieval (RAG) with GTEModernColBERT. 
07-May-2025 / 17:45 CET/CEST 
Dissemination of a French Regulatory News, transmitted by EQS Group. 
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 
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Press Release 
Paris, May 7, 2025 
LightOn sets new standards for complex information retrieval (RAG) with GTE-ModernColBERT. 
 
LightOn is proud to announce the release of GTE-ModernColBERT, our new state-of-the-art, open-source, multi-vector 
retrieval model. By leveraging ModernBERT architecture and our innovative PyLate library, we've created a solution that 
sets a new milestone in the field and addresses the complex challenges of modern enterprise information retrieval. This 
new model outperforms models of the ecosystem (Alibaba, Snowflake, Cohere, BAAI, JinaAI..) in the industry-standard 
LongEmbed benchmark. 
Breaking New Ground in Retrieval Technology 
Traditional single-vector embedding models have become standard in the industry, but as enterprise needs evolve toward 
handling longer contexts and specialized domains, their limitations become increasingly apparent. 
GTE-ModernColBERT-base represents a significant leap forward with its state-of-the-art multi-vector (late interaction) 
architecture, offering: 
Outstanding generalization capability for long documents 
GTE-ModernColBERT sets a new benchmark (SOTA - State of the Art) for generalization with long contexts. It outperforms 
the best existing models by a 10 point margin (LongEmbed benchmark) on documents up to 32,000 tokens, equivalent to 
texts spanning dozens of pages, even though it was initially trained only on 300 token excerpts from the MS MARCO 
dataset. These early results indicate that GTE-ModernColBERT could further extend its capabilities, delivering 
excellent performance even beyond this already impressive context window. 
   -- Extended context handling for documents up to 32,000 tokens 
   -- Superior generalization for domain-specific, confidential, or specialized content 
   -- Breakthrough performance as the first model to surpass ColBERT-small on the BEIR benchmark 
   -- Remarkable efficiency through ModernBERT's architectural advancements 
LightOn's Technical Innovation 
LightOn created GTE-ModernColBERT as an unique solution by identifying and building upon key elements: 
 1. Modern encoder: LightOn built ModernBERT to enable the creation of powerful and up to date retrieval 
  models. GTE-ModernColBERT is a direct follow-up of this first release to extend on the very promising multi-vector 
  approach. 
 
 2. PyLate Library: We developed a framework to enable streamlined implementation to experiment and train 
  multi-vector retrieval models. Only 80 lines of code are needed to reproduce the training process. 
 
 3. Knowledge Distillation: By training on MS MARCO via knowledge distillation, we've created a lightweight 
  yet powerful model that doesn't compromise on performance. 
 
 4. Compatibility Focus: Most major vector databases including QDrant, LanceDB,Weaviate and Vespa now support 
  multi-vectors indexation, making enterprise adoption frictionless. 
 
Transforming Enterprise RAG Implementations 
GTE-ModernColBERT fundamentally transforms how organizations can implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) by: 
   -- Enhancing search quality within proprietary knowledge bases 
   -- Maintaining high performance even with highly specialized content 
   -- Supporting enterprise-scale document processing 
   -- Enabling more accurate retrieval for AI-generated responses 
Real-World Impact 
For knowledge management teams and AI solution developers, GTE-ModernColBERT offers the ideal foundation for 
next-generation information systems. Its ability to process large volumes of text while maintaining contextual 
understanding makes it particularly valuable for: 
   -- Legal document analysis 
   -- Scientific research repositories 
   -- Technical documentation search 
   -- Customer support knowledge bases 
   -- Internal enterprise knowledge management 
Open Source Commitment 
After the release of ModernBERT and ModernBERT-embed, by releasing GTE-ModernColBERT as an Apache 2.0 licensed 
open-source solution, LightOn continues its commitment to advancing the field of AI while enabling organizations of all 
sizes to benefit from cutting-edge retrieval technology and empower research through open sourcing PyLate as well. 
For organizations seeking to stay ahead in Knowledge Management and RAG, GTE-ModernColBERT is now available. Try it out 
and (re)discover the hidden value within your documents! 
?? Try it today on Hugging Face 
?? Get started: PyLate Documentation 
 
 
About LightOn 
Founded in 2016 in Paris and the first European generative AI company listed on Euronext Growth, LightOn is a 
pioneering player in the field of sovereign GenAI. Its Paradigm platform enables organizations to deploy large-scale AI 
while ensuring the confidentiality of their data. LightOn's technology ensures essential strategic independence by 
offering tailored solutions. This technological mastery is accompanied by the ability to process large volumes of data 
for industrial uses, with applications in various sectors such as finance, industry, health, defense, and public 
services. 
LightOn is listed on Euronext Growth® Paris (ISIN: FR0013230950, ticker: ALTAI-FR). The company qualifies for PEA and 
PEA PME investment plans and is recognized as an "Innovative Company" by Bpifrance. To learn more: https:// 
www.lighton.ai 
 
 
Contacts 
                   SEITOSEI  --ACTIFIN 
LIGHTON                Investor Relations 
[e-mail]           Benjamin LEHARI 
                   [e-mail] 
KALAMARI 
                   SEITOSEI  --ACTIFIN 
Media Relations            Financial Media Relations 
Camille Bernisson - [phone] Jennifer JULLIA - [phone] 
Maroua Derdega - [phone]  [e-mail] 
[e-mail] 

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Regulatory filing PDF file File: ModernColBERT ENG

=---------------------------------------------------- 
Language:    English 
Company:     LIGHTON 
         2 rue de la Bourse 
         75002 Paris 
         France 
E-mail:     [e-mail] 
Internet:    www.lighton.ai 
ISIN:      FR0013230950 
Euronext Ticker: 
AMF Category:  Inside information / Other releases 
EQS News ID:   2132500 
 
End of Announcement EQS News Service 
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2132500 07-May-2025 CET/CEST

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