Video

CogVideoX

A 2–5B video model that runs on a single gaming GPU. A popular base for research and add-ons.

Developer
Zhipu AI (Z.ai) and Tsinghua University, China
First release
Aug 2024
Latest release
Nov 2024
Sizes
2B – 5B
License
Commercial use with conditions2B — Apache 2.0, 5B — CogVideoX License (commercial use after registration and with restrictions)
Running
On your own serverNeeds a GPU
Industries
Marketing and content, Science and research, Education
Deploy on your server Hugging Face GitHub

What it does

  • Short clips from text
  • Animating images
  • Video fine-tuning experiments

Where it is used

MarketingR&DEducation

Hardware requirements

LaptopLaptop or regular PC, up to 8 GB of VRAM — smaller versions
no versions
1 GPUOne GPU with 16–80 GB — mid-size versions
fits
ClusterServer with several GPUs — flagship versions
no versions

Versions

  1. CogVideoX 1.5-5B
  2. CogVideoX-2B / 5B

How to run it

On your own serverWeights are downloaded from Hugging Face and served with vLLM (load and API) or llama.cpp (modest hardware). The model then runs in a closed network with no per-request fees.Hugging Face
How much hardware you needCalculate the VRAM for the model size, context length and number of concurrent requests.Open the hardware calculator

I can set this up end to end: pick the model size, deploy it on your server and connect it to your systems.

Frequently asked questions

Can CogVideoX be used in a commercial project?

With conditions. License: 2B — Apache 2.0, 5B — CogVideoX License (commercial use after registration and with restrictions). Restrictions vary — region, company revenue, attribution requirements. Have a lawyer check the terms before a commercial launch.

What hardware does CogVideoX need?

At minimum: One GPU with 16–80 GB — mid-size versions. Without a GPU the model is not practical. You can calculate the exact VRAM for your model size and context in the hardware calculator.

Does CogVideoX support Russian?

Language does not matter for this model: it does not work with text.

Where can I download CogVideoX and what does it cost?

The CogVideoX weights are open and free to download. You only pay for the hardware it runs on and for the setup. Source links are at the bottom of this page.

How I deploy it for clients

  1. SelectionI pick the model size for your task and hardware and test it on your examples.
  2. DeploymentI deploy it on your server or in a closed network and provide an API.
  3. Fine-tuningI fine-tune it on your data (LoRA) or connect a knowledge base — whichever is cheaper for the task.
  4. IntegrationI connect it to your CRM, ERP, bot, website or team chat and set up monitoring.

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Details

Source: huggingface.co/zai-org/CogVideoX1.5-5B. Data checked against the model card on 22 Sep 2026. Have a lawyer review the license before commercial launch.