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Flan-T5 и Flan-UL2

Compact input-output models trained to follow instructions. Still used as a cheap base for classification, extraction and short answers.

The last open version came out in Mar 2023. The family has not been updated for a long time: the model still works, but do not expect fixes or new sizes.

Developer
Google, USA
First release
Oct 2022
Latest release
Mar 2023
Sizes
80M – 20B
License
Commercial use allowedApache 2.0
Russian
Not supported
Running
On your own serverAlso runs without a GPU
Industries
Customer support, Documents and accounting
Deploy on your server Hugging Face GitHub

What it does

  • Classification of requests and documents
  • Extracting fields from text
  • Short answers and summaries
  • Fine-tuning for a narrow task

Where it is used

Customer supportDocument managementAnalytics

Hardware requirements

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

Versions

  1. Flan-UL2
  2. Flan-T5

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 Flan-T5 и Flan-UL2 be used in a commercial project?

Yes. License: Apache 2.0. It allows commercial use, but it is still worth having a lawyer review the license before launch.

What hardware does Flan-T5 и Flan-UL2 need?

At minimum: Laptop or regular PC, up to 8 GB of VRAM — smaller versions. Some versions also run on an ordinary CPU, without a GPU. You can calculate the exact VRAM for your model size and context in the hardware calculator.

Does Flan-T5 и Flan-UL2 support Russian?

No. The model card lists its languages and Russian is not among them.

Where can I download Flan-T5 и Flan-UL2 and what does it cost?

The Flan-T5 и Flan-UL2 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/google/flan-ul2. Data checked against the model card on 22 Sep 2026. Have a lawyer review the license before commercial launch.